Camas Meadow on June 30 2020; Guide: Virginia Meyer
Directions: Camas Meadow is off Eldorado National Forest Road 11N37F, accessed from Ice House-Wright’s Lake Road. Take the forest road 11N37F north from Ice House-Wright’s Lake Road for about 1 mile until you find a wide turnout on your right. Park and walk to the east a couple of hundred feet to the meadow. Elevation: about 7,000 ft. Description: The meadow is surrounded by upper montane forest, dominated by lodgepole pine. The meadow has myriad wetland species, and the ecotone between meadow and forest has a diversity of “edge” species, as well as forest understory plants. This ecotone is especially hospitable to members of the Heath family (Ericaceae), with Labrador tea (Rhododendron columbianum), red mountain heather (Phyllodoce breweri) and others. Another main “attraction” is the orchid family - three species here! A lovely meadow full of native grass species, sedges, rushes, and herbaceous plants with gorgeous flowers - and many pollinators! Best time to walk: Summertime! It’s nice to visit several times over the course of the summer, as the blue camas (Camassia quamash ssp. breviflora), for which the meadow is named, blooms rather earlier - June - and other flowering plants bloom later. It would be fun to visit as soon as the road is accessible and then maybe once a month (?) until the fall when the roads close to see the succession of flowers as the season progresses.
Directions: Camas Meadow is off Eldorado National Forest Road 11N37F, accessed from Ice House-Wright’s Lake Road. Take the forest road 11N37F north from Ice House-Wright’s Lake Road for about 1 mile until you find a wide turnout on your right. Park and walk to the east a couple of hundred feet to the meadow. Elevation: about 7,000 ft. Description: The meadow is surrounded by upper montane forest, dominated by lodgepole pine. The meadow has myriad wetland species, and the ecotone between meadow and forest has a diversity of “edge” species, as well as forest understory plants. This ecotone is especially hospitable to members of the Heath family (Ericaceae), with Labrador tea (Rhododendron columbianum), red mountain heather (Phyllodoce breweri) and others. Another main “attraction” is the orchid family - three species here! A lovely meadow full of native grass species, sedges, rushes, and herbaceous plants with gorgeous flowers - and many pollinators! Best time to walk: Summertime! It’s nice to visit several times over the course of the summer, as the blue camas (Camassia quamash ssp. breviflora), for which the meadow is named, blooms rather earlier - June - and other flowering plants bloom later. It would be fun to visit as soon as the road is accessible and then maybe once a month (?) until the fall when the roads close to see the succession of flowers as the season progresses.