Baskett Butte Loop Hike

Overview

Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge is located along the Pacific flyway and is the winter home of many thousands of dusky Canada geese. It also boasts resident bald eagles, ospreys, and great horned owls. In the wetlands, you may see many other water birds, beavers, and nutrias. The small peak on the refuge is Baskett Butte, which contains upland Willamette prairie grassland, oak woodland, and oak savanna. A recent project has thinned the woodland to rid it of invasive Douglas-fir, which crowds out the oaks. The grasslands are home to a threatened plant: Kincaid's lupine, which is the host of an endangered butterfly, the Fender's blue butterfly. Western meadowlarks, Oregon's state bird but now rare In the Willamette Valley, are often observed here. The loop described here is open all year. A spur connects with the Morgan Lake Loop, which descends to lower marshlands and is only open April 1st to September 30th. The loop trail around Baskett Butte is named for Rich Guadagno, a former manager of the refuge and a passenger on United Flight 93 on September 11th, 2001, when the hijacked plane crashed into a Pennsylvania farm field. The memorial trail is now a designated national recreation trail. Begin at the trailhead and take the gravel trail uphill, passing the first of several signs honoring Rich Guadagno. The trail rises through an oak savanna with views west across farm fields to the Eola Hills. At a fork, bear right and skirt an oak wood on Baskett Butte to reach another junction. Take the spur trail leading right across an open grassland on the crest of Baskett Butte. The trail drops to another junction marked for the Moffitti Morgan Loop Trail (open only between April 1st and September 30th). If you're here after September 30th, head right to a bench with a view of Parvipes Marsh and Morgan Lake. The trail beyond here is seasonally closed, so return to the Rich Guadagno Memorial Loop Trail that circles the oak wood on Baskett Butte. Bear right on the loop trail to enter a dense oak woodland and win

Trail Stats

Photos

350px-BaskettButteMap

350px-BaskettButteMap

250px-Calochortus

250px-Calochortus

250px-Fender

250px-Fender

250px-Moffitti_Marsh_from_Baskett_Butte%2C_Baskett_Slough_NWR

250px-Moffitti_Marsh_from_Baskett_Butte%2C_Baskett_Slough_NWR

400px-Hawk

400px-Hawk

Tags