There is more to Island Park than just Pine Trees!

Nearly fifteen years ago, my companions and I set up our bow hunting camp on the southwest side of the Big Bend Ridge, near the very southwest corner of the caldera. Hiking the area through most of that September, I learned an appreciation for the transitional ecosystem located between the valley floor and forest. The area has most of the foliage of Island Park but the mixture is different. Pines, firs and quakies are all present but added to the mix are junipers, scrub maple and sumac. I vividly recall walking under a canopy of radiant orange maple leaves while searching for an elk one mid-September morning and thinking that nature could not have presented a more beautiful vision.

Surrounded by the grandeur of the caldera’s forest, it is understandable if one’s viewing trips are focused at the obvious targets. One of the most overlooked areas of Island Park is the mountainsides between the flat and the caldera. The hillsides spawn a wide variety of colorful flowers from mid-June through August.

Sheri and I went for a drive on Mother’s Day to the site of that old hunting camp. The quakies had leafed out. The scrub maple and sumac had formed their leaves, even though they were only ten percent of their final size. The grassy meadows were green, as all signs of winter had vanished and the large outcrops of volcanic rock completed the appearance of a beautifully tended garden. Explore some of the lesser known features of the caldera this year. Pack a camera, a lunch and search for new sites in Island Park. You just might find that one of your favorite areas is waiting to be discovered!