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I drove to the Ginkgo Petried Forest State Park Backcountry trailhead along Recreation Drive in Vantage WA to hike one of the trail options. I went 9.3 miles round trip with 1,430 ft of overall elevation gain. There were a nice assortment of wildflowers in bloom. I didn't see any one else on the trail this morning, except a small marmot near the trailhead that was too fast for photos.
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Near the beginning of the trail, there were wildflowers in bloom. lots of daisies and fleabane.
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There were some arrowhead balsamroot (and Hooker's balsamroot) in bloom, but it seems to be near the end of their blooming season here.
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Some wildflowers were blooming in the middle of the closed dirt road (which is the backcountry trail).
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Lots of desert yellow daisies in bloom,
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The Columbia River looking southeast from near the start of the trail.
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There was also lots of purple sage in bloom.
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Penstemon and buckwheat dotting the hillside with color,
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along with the daisies.
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Balsamroot and a view of the Columbia River to the northeast, further up the trail along with
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lupine in bloom.
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At about 3.6-3.8 miles, the trail leaves the State Park and enters the L T Murray Wildlife Area. I continue along this dirt road until I found a boot track leading back into the State Park, further down the road.
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Back in the State Park, with a lovely view of the Columbia River.
Wide angle view of the Columbia River to the east, near my turn around spot.
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Nearby was the tall (about 7 foot) petrified tree trunk, amazing!
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Lupine and balsamroot along the dirt road as I hiked back.
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Love the colors from the wildflowers dotting the hillside.
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The clouds starting getting very dark as I got closer to the trailhead, a great morning!
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I think this is a fungus, I only saw this one on the trail.
some of the wildflowers seen along the trail this morning:
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