Turtle Creek & Iron Canyon
March 22, 2025

by Don BurkPosted onField Trips
Looking down the Turtle Creek drainage from the north slope on Hog Lake Plateau, Sacramento River Recreation Area.
Photo taken March 22, 2025, by Don Burk.

As a companion to Greg Lockett’s fantastic Turtle Creek Flora slide show at our March Chapter meeting, we scheduled a field trip to the area the following Saturday, March 22.  With spring officially three days old, the landscape was afroth with wildflowers! 

Blue oak and yellow flowers. J. Malik.
A blue oak just leafing out over a carpet of yellow on Hog Lake Plateau, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area. Photo taken March 22, 2025, by Juliet Malik.

We started our hike at Iron Canyon Trailhead, Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area, progressing in a counter-clockwise direction to Scout Trail.  We then descended down the steep grade to Turtle Creek, as slow as tortoises to avoid stepping on the myriad wildflowers to the extent possible.  As the rocky trail bed gave way to slippery mud, the flora changed from from a vast expanse of yellow to a shady dark green with flashes of showy wildflowers.  After exploring the east-side canyon wall draped in maidenhair fern, we ascended the gentler trail up the west side of the canyon, where we viewed its downstream extent.  

We searched both high and low, and found some 60 different plant species in bloom, from the diminutive moss pygmyweed to the spectacular Sierra fawn lily.  

North wall of Turtle Creek canyon. D. Burk.
Juliet Malik admiring red larkspur and monkeyflowers up on the north wall of Turtle Creek canyon.
Photo taken March 22, 2025, by Don Burk.
Inspecting Danny's skullcap. L. Burk.
Juliet Malik and Don Burk inspecting Danny’s skullcaps, under the canopy of an interior live oak rooted well downslope from our trail on the south side of Turtle Creek canyon.
Photo taken March 22, 2025, by Laurie Burk.
Sacramento River vista. J. Malik.
For our return trip, we completed the Iron Canyon Loop Trail, reveling in the Sacramento River views from high up on the bluff. Photo taken March 22, 2025, by Juliet Malik.

Here’s a very small sampling of some of the intriguing species we encountered. Enjoy! ~Don Burk