The Central Washington desert wrings as much moisture as it can from its spring rain and snowmelt from mid-April through early June to put on a short but dazzling display of scruffy desert wildflowers before the intense summer sun has its inevitable way.
The blooms, some bright and showy others as tiny as baby’s fingernail, accent the desert’s hardscrabble shades of gray, sage and tan with bursts of vibrant color and make this a beautiful time to be out on the trails exploring this region’s shrub-steppe habitat.
The craggy hills in and around Grant PUD’s Columbia River recreation areas offer some good wildflower viewing.
From the viewpoints above Crescent Bar, about 10 miles west of Quincy, you’ll spot entire hillsides covered in the earliest bloomers – the brilliant yellow balsam arrowroot and the iridescent-like glow of bitterbrush.
Farther downriver, the rocky hillsides around the Wanapum Dam Overlook display balsamroot, colorful pillows of phlox and more tiny pinheads of color that you’ll have to look carefully to find. The overlook is up a steep, paved turnoff from northbound Highway 243 near Wanapum Dam.
The view from up there is stunning, overlooking the Columbia River and undulating cliffs, carved by the Ice Age Floods. If you look closely, you can even see several of the wind turbines at the Wild Horse Wind Farm, upriver and on the distant horizon.
You’ll find good places to pull off scenic Highway 243 and take short desert strolls to spot harder-to-see blooms peeking out from the sage and grasses, including the star-shaped purple of linear-leaf phacelia and the small but spikey Robinson’s onion – also known as Columbia River onion – just to name a few.
This show is but once a year and doesn’t last long. If you’re in the vicinity, swing by the Wanapum Heritage Center, near Priest Rapids Dam, for a cool break to take in exhibits that tell the story of the Wanapum People. Step out the back door, take a seat at one of the picnic tables and admire the river and hills that have been the Wanapum’s ancestral homeland since time immemorial.
The hunt for wildflowers can work up an appetite. Pop into Desert Aire for a bite at Tumbleweeds Bar & Grill or swing through Mattawa for a variety of eateries, especially Mexican. Safe and tasty travels!
— Christine Pratt, Public Affairs, with Kate Schmuck, Lands and Recreation
