Flower Finder: Top Spur Trail to McNeal Point Shelter Loop on Mt. Hood

by Barry Maletzky

Following the maze of roads to access the Top Spur Trail is worth the small effort as this route gains you the quickest access to the wonderful profundity of alpine wildflowers surrounding Mt. Hood, both in forest and meadow. All you have to do is look down at the start of the trail to see a miniature version of the flowering dogwood tree. Bunchberry, also called Canadian Dogwood, looks like someone plucked a cluster of dogwood tree flowers, then strewn them across the forest floor. As with the tree, the actual flowers are tiny dull thing-a-mig things poking up in the center of the four white “petals”, which only masquerade as petals; they’re really leafy bracts colored bright white to attract pollinating insects.

Also prominent in these woods is Parrot’s Beak Lousewort, a low-growing pinkish-purplish plant with reddish leaves. Although the name sounds derogatory, it stems from the belief that many plants in the lousewort genus could rid homes and pets of lice, another myth exploded by reality. All our louseworts (including the famous Elephant’s Head) are in the Snapdragon Family and are thus distant cousins to Indian paintbrushes. Just about ¼ mile in, near a stream area, note Bugbane on your left. This plant, about 3 ft. tall, is visually rare along Northwest trails. It stands out as a spiky white specimen because the actual flowers are tiny but an army of stamens points outward as the most visible feature of the plant. Do not be deceived by its name: it has never protected anyone I know from the biting flies and mosquitoes common in these woods.

The delightful Avalanche Lily peppers the open woods here and although its white flowers droop, they have nothing to be ashamed of. Note the bright yellow centers of these close siblings of the Glacier Lily, which is totally yellow. As you turn right briefly onto the PCT, then almost immediately left onto the Timberline Trail, you may note the delightful Queen’s Cup Lily, a white six-petalled flower resting amidst a cluster of thin parallel-leaved leaves. Parts in sixes or threes usually denote the Lily, Iris, and Orchid Families, quite different in their evolution from most flowering plants, which hold their parts in fours or fives.

You labor upwards here gradually at first and should locate several examples of Merten’s Coral Root, a saprophyte all red and straw in color, lacking the need for any green chlorophyll but making its living off fungi and bacteria in the shaded soil. We have two other Coral Roots in our woodlands – Striped and Spotted. All are actually in the Orchid Family but I’m afraid tropical inhabitants might look down their noses at these compared to their large and colorful cousins down south.

In the transition zones here between forest and meadow, at around 6,000 ft. elevation, blue Jacob’s Ladder graces the sides of the trail. A Phlox Family species, it can be recognized by its ladder-like arrangement of leaves growing up its stems and by the charming sky-blue flowers nodding at the ends of its 6-9” stems. A close cousin, Sky Pilot, grows even higher in our alpine regions. Rub the leaves of either to smell their carrion-like odor, quite in contrast to their pleasant appearance. The trashy smell attracts the flies which pollinate this lovely plant.

You now proceed into the lush west-side meadows so characteristic of the high Cascades. Bear Grass, here up to 10 ft. tall, lends a subtle lily-like perfume, while blue Lupines and crimson Tall Paintbrush paint the meadows by a series of large boulders (note several Tiger Lilies on your left here as well) with spectacular views of Hood’s west face and the Sandy River drainage basin. After several miles on the Timberline Trail, look to your right just after a sharp left bend in the trail to catch the steep spur to McNeil Point Shelter. Walk through a crushing maze of daisy-like pink Cascade Asters and yellow Sawtooth Groundsels (or Senecios), these last with triangular sharply-toothed leaves, along with battalions of Sitka Valerians, the common white-topped plant of alpine meadows. Some of the asters and groundesls are taller than most hikers, giving the feeling of swimming through a floral sea. The rude path steepens here but the way is brightened by the many red and yellow Columbines you pass as you near the shelter.

But do not stop there. A few minutes hike above McNeil Shelter brings you to even grander viewpoints and the presence of my favorite lupine – Lyall’s, or the Sub-alpine Lupine (also called Lobb’s Lupine). The silvery-green leaves provide a gorgeous backdrop for the tiny blue and white pea-like flowers common to all lupines but in miniature: a jewel amongst the giants below. You can continue on an unofficial but well-maintained trail to complete a loop, and thus marvel at scarlet Paintbrushes; blue Lupines; Drummond’s Cinquefoils (the small yellow flowers); and the seedheads of the Western Anemone, with its dusty mop atop 2 ft. tall stems looking for all the world like the grey messy hair of the old man of the mountains. Many Avalanche Lilies will still populate crannies by trailside rocks and, as you descend through woods, the daisy-like yellow heads of Broad-leaf Arnica stand out against the monotone of green.

At several ponds at around 6,500 ft., often dry by mid-August, you will be rewarded with the sight of Fringed Gentian, a 2-ft. tall plant with petals the deepest of blues and green spots held upright and with fringes on each of their edges. In the woods below, just before you rejoin the Timberline Trail, there are two stream crossings which feature large gatherings of two Monkey Flowers: The yellow one is Mountain (or Tilinget’s) Monkey Flower, here mixed vibrantly with the shocking pink of Lewis’ Monkey Flower. These two line streambeds throughout our mountains; monkey flowers are also members of the Snapdragon Family, although their resemblance to an ape escapes me.

This loop often contains patches of snow throughout the summer, especially as it traverses meadows beyond the hut. However, ample footsteps and by-passes preclude the need for an ice ax. The way is only steep and rough in places just below the hut; otherwise, the trails are broad, relatively gentle, view-filled, and provide one of the best alpine flower shows in our state. If you’re not off on a climb and have a free day in July or August, this loop should not be missed.