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Jardine Juniper, 8 June, 2025
A group of 16 hikers made the journey to the Jardine Juniper, the oldest known Rocky Mountain juniper. It is estimated to be 1,500 years old, and still has a cluster of live branches near the top.
We encountered numerous hikers and mountain bikers at the trailhead and throughout the day. Along the trail, we were able to view other peaks, including Mt. Elmer, Beirdneau Peak, and Logan Peak. After reaching and spending some time at the ancient tree, we ate our lunch at a point above the tree overlooking Cottonwood Canyon.
The entire landscape, from lower/mid elevation sagebrush, juniper and aspen communities to higher elevation mixed conifer, was lush and green. Several shrubs and forbs were in bloom, including wild rose, chokecherry, serviceberry, bitterbrush, snowberry, snowbrush, Oregon grape, arrowleaf and cutleaf balsamroot, low larkspur, death camas, sticky geranium, waterleaf, Solomon’s seal, penstemons, woodland strawberry, woodland star, western clematis, northern sweetvetch, Jacob’s ladder, green gentian, mountain dandelion, western wallflower, meadowrue, heartleaf arnica and leopard lily.
Trip Summary:
- Sixteen participants: Ralph, Jake, Dave P., Brent L., Jane, Nancy, David, Jim, Susan, Sue, Teresa, Darcy, Bree, Matt, Dave W., and Linda (leader)
- Drove 11 miles to Wood Camp Trailhead in Logan Canyon
- Started hiking at 8:37; returned to trailhead at 3:05
- Sunny skies
- Hiked about 10.5 miles with about 2,000 feet elevation gain
Thanks
to Linda for the narrative, Dave P, Dave W, Jane,
Bree, Susan, Brent L for photos, and Ralph for photos
and GPS data. (Video)
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| Sixteen Cache Hikers at the Wood Camp Trailhead | |||
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| Crossing the third bridge |
Hiking on the Old Juniper trail |
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| Resting at the bench near the Wilderness boundary, about 3.6 miles from the trailhead | |||
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| At the old Jardine Juniper | |||
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| Buckwheat |
Sticky geranium |
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| Two species of paintbrush | |||
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| Scarlet gilia |
Bigleaf balsamroot |
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| Chokecherry |
Penstemon |
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| Starwort |
Wood's rose |
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| Violet |
Snowbrush ceanothus |
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| Striped
coralroot (a parasitic orchid) |
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| Bitterbrush |
Green gentian, aka "monument plant" |
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| Tiny trumpet |
Wild hyacinth |
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| Lewis flax |
Hare figwort |
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| Leopard lily |
Serviceberry |
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| Mountain dandelion |
Stickseed |
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| Valerian |
Bastard toadflax |
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| Stoneseed |
Oregon grape |
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| Mule ears |
Larkspur |
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| Wallflower |
False Solomon's seal |
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| Tent
caterpillars |
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Our GPS track shows about 10.6 miles
and about 2000 feet
of ascent.
You can look at our route using Google Earth
or download our GPS file.
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