Finding Botanical Gold at the Mid-Mountain Wildflower Garden of Canyon Creek Trail

Yuba River, North Fork

Date: May 28, 2023
Place: Canyon Creek Trail, Indian Valley, Downieville, California
Coordinates: 39.517038, -121.011236
Length: 6.5 miles
Level: moderate

For the first time in many, many years Pappa Quail and I had the chance to go on a long weekend on our own, without the chikas. One of the reasons we chose to go to Oroville was to hike the famous Feather Falls trail which was on my wannado list for a while now. This trail however, was closed still. (It has been closed since the Dixie and the Buckwourth wildfires of 2021). The area close to town was already petty dry and the forecast predicted a hot day so we decided to go hiking in the mountains southeast of Oroville, an area that wasn't impacted by the fires and was expected to be cooler.

Our top choice was the Canyon Creek Trail in Indian Valley. It's an in-and -out forest trail that used to be a miners road (and apparently it still is, for those having a registered claim). On the way there I noticed a patch of pink balls along the roadside, and without me even asking, Pappa Quail swerved and pulled over so I could go take a look. 

Papery Onion, Allium membranaceum

The parking area of the Canyon Creek Trail is a small pullout north of hwy 49. When we arrived there were two other cars already parked at that pullout. We saw a man unloading equipment from his car, and he told us that he was going to pan for gold. I looked at the gashing current underneath the bridge and wondered how exactly he was going to do that. 

North Fork Yuba River

This trail used to be a miners road. It is still passable by motor vehicles up to about a mile and some into it. The trailhead was gated, barred to vehicles. We started hiking down the trail, in the direction of the river flow.

Our hike as captured by my GPS

The trail, being once a vehicle road, was wide and reasonably flat, and easy to walk path. The was a lot of vegetation on both side of the trail, covering the mountain slope on the north, and blocking the river view on the south.

Canyon Creek Trail

The trail was easy enough, but right from the start I knew that we will take a very long time to walk it,  reason being the amazing display of wildflowers along the trail.

Variable-leaf Collomia, Collomia heterophylla

I mean, literally every step I'd stop for another flower, and each would get a complete photo book. I was particularly fascinated with the numerous monkeyflowers the bloomed on the rocky slope. 

Kellogg's Monkeyflower, Diplacus kelloggii 

The air too was infused with the heavy scent of the Ceanothus. I walked by very slowly, taking deep breaths, letting the dense fragrance soak into my being.

Deer Brush, Ceanothus integerrimus 

We moved slowly (very) along the trail. Meanwhile other people were zooming right by us -  bicyclists and trail runners. We were the only hikers out that time.   

Cinquefoil, Potentilla sp. 

Pappa Quail kept on the lookout for birds. He heard them all around us, as did I. The birds however, didn't come out into the open. Meanwhile Pappa Quail also pointed out wildflowers for me. 

Rock Lettuce, Dudleya cymosa 

One of the things that struck me was how dominant the California wild grape was around Oroville, the foothills, and all the way up to where we hiked at Indian Valley. I eyed hungrily the fresh grape leaves glistening on the vines on the river side of the trail and the developing bunches of tiny grapes.

California Wild Grape, Vitis californica

It was very tempting to pick the leaves, but making dolmas is quite labor intensive and I didn't wish to spend our good vacation time in the kitchen, so I bravely resisted the temptation 

Canyon Creek Trail

The rich display of wildflowers kept my mind away from leaf foraging. 

Wild Hyacinth, Triteleia hyacinthina 

SSome of the wildflowers  I photographed on that hike I needed help to identify. Others I simply gave uup on ever knowing more than their family. 

DYC

Most of the flowers however, I was already familiar with, or had known enough to easily identify them later on using the Calflora site. 

Blue Field Gilia, Gilia capitata ssp. pedemontana

Occasionally I would lift my head from the ground where most wildflowers were and looked around some. A side stream cascading nicely along the rocky slope adorned the mountain side. 

Our first wildlife encounter on this hike  was a little black lizard that was out in the open on the slope. It was waiting there patiently for the sun to make an appearance.

Lizard

Behind the lizard bloomed a few lupine plants. Not as many as I'm used to seeing in other places, where lupines simply take over the scenery. I don't think that the hike would have been complete without seeing any lupine.

Lupine, Lupinus sp.

Every now and then there would be a gap in the vegetation south of the trail, and we would have a nice view of the river. We were hiking along the north fork of the Yuba River, and it was running high and fast. I kept expecting to see rafters but the river was empty of people.

Yuba River, North Fork

The Phacelia plants were just beginning to bloom, and most of them didn't attract my attention. A few of the plants though, were covered by the foamy exude of the 'spittle bug' where the insect's larvae develop in hiding.

Phacelia distans

The most dominant wildflower in the open, less forested areas of the slopes was the multy-flowered brodiaea. There were large patches of this beautiful lily.

Many Flowered Brodiaea, Dichelostemma multiflorum

We came upon  rock with spring water leaking over it from above. The sheer rock face was covered with little yellow monkeyflowers. It looked like one of those hydroponic walls, only wild and impressive. 

A familiar plant bloomed below a drier section of the rock - an Indian Paintbrush. I always love seeing them on my hikes. Here it was just beginning to bloom. 

Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja affinis 

The trail remained high above the river. We were walking in a more forested area now and the wildflowers we saw on the way were more characteristic of a forest floor. 

Pacific Bleeding Heart, Dicentra formosa 

Large patches of mountain strawberry bloomed underneath the trees by the trail side. I licked my lips, thinking of a possible hike here later in summer. 

Mountain Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana

Exciting! I saw an Iris blooming. Pappa Quail, who was walking ahead of me at the time, called me over to show me a whole patch of irises. It was really hard to chose from the many photos I took of these beautiful flowers. 

Hartweg's Iris, Iris hartwegii 

There were also areas with relatively little bloom along the path. Naturally, we made a faster progress in these sections. Pappa Quail seemed to have given up on photographing the elusive forest birds and no longer stopped at every tweet he heard from the canopies. 

Canyon Creek Trail 

If this blog post looks like a laundry list of wildflowers, it is because I simply cannot select to display only a few of the celebrated blossoms I saw on that hike. This was really the mid-Sierra at it's finest season. 

Sulpher Pea, Lathyrus sulphureus 

These posts are my platform to not merely display, but mostly to remember the wild places I visit and their special features. On this hike, in this season - the highlight was the wildflowers richness and diversity. 

Canyon Nemophila, Nemophila heterophylla 

One thing I noticed on this hie was that no one plant dominated the entire area. In certain sections there were more of one species or another, but for the most, it was a wonderful mix of many species and many flower colors. 

Larkspur, Delphinium decorum 

Particularly impressed I was with the plants who grew right from rock crevices with very little soil to feed of. One of my all time favorite rock plants is the alumroot. It looks like a delicate cloud when it blooms. If I ever make a rock garden in my yard, I'll try to grow that one. 

Pink Alumroot, Heuchera rubescens 

Enamored by all that I saw I kept documenting everything, even wildflowers that seemed unassuming at first, or that were challenging to photograph. Later, at hime though, I found out that some of these sightings were quite interesting, as they were beautiful. 

Fringe Cups, Tellima grandiflora

The trail led us deeper into the forest and the trees closed in on us from both sides of the trail. The forest was of mixed conifers and brad-leaf trees, indicating that we weren't very high up the mountain, where the conifers dominate.  

Canyon Creek Trail

We found a small clearing with an old picnic area that had a rotting picnic table and a stone fire ring with a crooked iron grill in it. We stayed there for a little bit, hoping that some birds might show themselves, but even the robins that were there when we arrived flew away into the trees as we approached. Pappa Quail turned around in frustration. The birds seemed to be mocking him. 

We found pieces of heavy machinery partially buried in the soil, and the guy we met at the trailhead jumped into my mind. I speculated that this area was an abandoned gold mining claim site.

A little further into the trail we realized that the claim site was not abandoned after all. A short dirt road spur leading down to the river ended in a small encampment of tents. A couple of vehicles parked there too, and I assumed the people camping there had the key to the gate at the trailhead. Once again I wondered how can gold panning be done when the river was so high and fast. 

Yuba River, North Fork

It didn't take long before I forgot about gold panning altogether. The god, apparently, was not in the river but it was blooming by the trail side. I found mariposa lilies! and of a species I have never seen before, too! Pappa Quail and I lingered for a while by the patch of those lovey flowers, appreciating and taking photos from every possible angle of each individual we saw. Eventually I had to chose just one to post here, and it was a hard choice! 

Yellow Star Tulip, Calochortus monophyllus

Pappa Quail and I influence each other. Just like I show more interest in birds now, he too developed more interest in plants. He pointed out to me a patch of star flowers that were at their male phase with their anthers sticking out. 

Pacific Starflower, Lysimachia latifolia 

A mile and a half into the hike the trail narrowed considerably. Past the gold panning claim site it was no longer a wide dirt road but a narrow foot path that involved brushing against the lush trail side vegetation. Recent descriptions of the trail that I read online said there was much storm debris and fallen trees on the trail but be saw very little of that. Recent maintenance work was evident, and the trail was fully passable. There was only one place where we needed to climb over where a large tree had fallen, but that fall was certainly not a recent one and the bypass had become a permanent part of the trail. 

Canyon Creek Trail

If I'd thought that after a mile or so of hiking I'd no longer see new wildflowers, I was clearly mistaken. More and more wildflower species were revealed, individuals or in patches, as the hike progressed.     

Wallflower, Erysimum capitatum

Not only wildflowers caught my attention. Although this wasn't a big mushroom bloom time, I did see some very nice fungal bloom display here and there. 

Pappa Quail was less impressed with the floral diversity. He was very frustrated by not being able to see, let alone photograph, the shy forest birds. he wanted to find a place to sit for a lunch break, and then to turn around and head back. 

Common Water Plantain Buttercup, Ranunculus alismifolius 

I was still finding more wildflowers and I was reluctant to cut short what was for me a very rewarding hike. After a short debate I convinced Pappa Quail to continue a bit further to where the navigator said the trail would be crossing a tributary creek and find a place there to stop for a picnic. 

Purple Milkweed, Asclepias cordifolia 

Pappa Quail went ahead and quickened his pace, and I followed him. On the north slope there was an area of exposed rock, and I think it was there where Sauron fled to after losing his war with Gondor.  (The black vertical line is the charred mark left by a burnt wood, not part of the rock itself).

Even on the short distance to our agreed destination I found wildflowers that I haven't seen earlier on the hike. I am still trying to suppress the FOMO I have for not continuing all the way to the end of that trail. 

Wood's Rose, Rosa woodsii

We arrived at the reek crossing where we had planned to stop. The tributary was flowing strong, and we stood for a few minutes on the bridge, looking down at the water. Only a short distance away from the bridge the creek was already well hidden by the luxurious vegetation that it supported. 

I spotted a nice rocky area by the creek's bank not too far from the bridge. Pappa Quail and I walked carefully down through the vegetation and sat by the water to relax and to eat. By that time the clouds dissipated and the sun was shining powerfully, so we welcomed the shade. I dipped my hands in the clear, cool water and washed my face. 

It was quite obvious that we were not the first to have come to sit there. Even though there was no clear trail to that spot, there were gaps in the vegetation that were formed by people stepping through. While we were sitting there, enjoying our lunch, a quick flying gray bird zoomed by over the water. It was a dipper, and I hoped it would settle nearby so that Pappa Quail could photograph it. The dipper flew by quickly a couple more times but didn't stop near us. 

No bird success for Pappa Quail there. I on the other hand, found yet another wildflower to enjoy - one that loves growing in flowing creeks and river sides. 

Umbrella Plant, Darmera peltata

We sat for a good long time by the water. We then pushed ur way back to the trail, took a last look at the tributary creek, then started our way back to the trailhead. 

Canyon Creek Trail

We stopped to appreciate the grand view of the Yuba River, this time looking to the other direction. The water seemed a bit calmer from this point of view, with the whitewater places shining in the sunlight. 

Yuba River, North Fork

It was only at a close distance that one could tell how fast and furious the river was going. Still, I wondered why no rafters were taking on this nice river. 

Pappa Quail rushed ahead. I noticed a molt of a cicada still clutched onto a starflower leaf and I stopped to look at it closely, wondering how I had missed it on the way in.

Cicada molt

I caught up with Pappa Quail soon enough. He was photographing a butterfly. Now that the sun was out and heating, the butterflies took to the air in good numbers and species diversity. Thankfully, some of them also settled occasionally.

Northern Checkerspot

On the way back and in better lighting, I had the opportunity to take better photos of wildflowers I had already seen on the way in. 

Thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus 

I also noticed wildflowers that I had missed entirely on our way in. 

Violet, Viola sp. 

We walked much quicker now. I didn't pause at every wildflower I saw. Most of them I'd already seen on the way in. This time, we were slowed down by the butterflies, who kept circling all around us. 

Pale Swallowtail

We passed the gold panning encampment and were walking briskly now toward the trailhead, when I noticed a bird on the trail. Pappa Quail had seen it before me but wouldn't photograph it because it was 'just a robin'. He did photograph he next robin we saw however, although the angle and illumination wasn't optimal. 

American Robin

Once again we were walking in a deep, well shaded forest section of the trail. This time we were entirely on our own. Everyone else who'd entered the trail after us - the bikers and the runners, were all gone by now. There was a pair of hikers that had passed us as we turned around to go back, and they had continued all the way to the end of the trail. We were now alone in the forest, and it was silent, except for the chirps from the invisible birds in the canopies. 

Pappa Quail spotted a moth resting in the vegetation. He pointed out the moth to me, but when i looked in that direction, the moth had already flew away. 

Inchworm Moth, Geometer sp.

On the other hand, Pappa Quail missed entirely the crab spider that was sunning on an inverted blackberry leaf, ambushing whichever bug that may land there too. 

Crab Spider

I took another look back, down the river. I wished I could raft it right now. It would have been great. As it was, I could only long for it, and understand that one cannot do everything at the same time, and that if I was rafting, I'd be wanting to hike. 

Yuba River, North Fork

Out of the forest and in the sun the butterflies swarmed us once again. I managed to capture one admiral when it paused a little in the brambles. 

Lorquin's Admiral

Meanwhile, Pappa Quail got a duskywings butterfly on the dark rock, which made a nice background for the butterfly's camouflaged colors. 

Propetius Duskywing

Close to the trailhead now, I looked not only for wildflowers (all of which I'd already seen on the way in) but noticed other sights as well, like the trees by the river, that were very covered by the California wild grape. Although not as extreme as the grape-coated buckeye tree that I saw at the North Table Mountain Preserve on the day before, but still, a pretty extensive coating of the vine. 

I also had the chance to take better photos of some of the wildflowers that caught my attention on the way in, like this lovely yellow and white monkeyflower. 

Yellow and White Monkeyflower, Erythranthe bicolor

Anther species of monkeyflower bloomed next to the yellow and white one. I don't recall ever before seeing the Torrey's monkeyflower. It might have been my fist time. 

Torrey's Monkeyflower, Diplacus torreyi

Pappa Quail had already reached the parking area but I lingered a bit more, reluctant to leave so soon this beautiful trail.  

Even when I reached the parking area I had to d a wide around walk, to check out the bindweed that bloomed near the slope side. 

Eventually Pappa Quail called me over. He was ready to go and he asked my for the coordinates of our next stop, which would be by Sierra City, much higher up the mountain. I sighed, and entered the car, and we drove off to the Loves Falls trailhead, the destination of our next hike. 

Many thanks to members of the California Native Plants Society for their help in identifying plants