On this trip I hiked the Bill Williams Mountain Trail #21 from the Williams District Ranger Station to the lookout tower on top of Bill Williams Mountain. Although the sign says 3 miles, I logged closer to 4 miles to the top (8 miles round trip.)
From the ranger station the trail starts out flat through on open ponderosa and oak forest.
Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) dripping with the morning dew.
Aspen Fleabane(?) sparkling in the morning dew.
Beetles feeding on or drinking the dew from a pink thistle.
The Bill Williams Mountain Trail travelling through forest edged with lichen cover boulders.
Wright's Deervetch (Lotus wrightii).
Bowls in the lichen covered basalt boulders hold water from the previous days rain showers.
Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja sp.).
Cliff Rose (Cowania mexicana) bushes were blooming along much of the lower portion of the trail.
At the 1/2 mile point and the junction with the Clover Spring Trail.
Indian Paintbrush (lower let), Cliff Rose (center), Gambel Oak (upper left) and more lichen covered boulders.
Torrey's Crag Lily (Anthericum torreyi).
Golden-beard Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus).
The trail still climbing through ponderosa and oak woodlands.
A view of the trail through the forest.
After a little more climbing the ponderosas are larger.
Wrong side up. Root system of large fallen tree.
Closeup of the beautiful Skyrocket Gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata).
Closeup of Golden-beard Penstemon. They're watching you!
White mushroom.
Yellow fungus growing on an old tree stump.
Just below the 2 mile marker I found a tree with these incredible mushrooms growing from its trunk.
A closeup of a group of five of these mushrooms.
A closeup view of a single mushroom.
A pair of the mushrooms with their bell shaped caps .
Mushrooms on tree.
Closeup of mushroom.
Mushrooms on tree.
Wild Geranium (Geranium caespitosum).
Aspen Sunflower (Helianthella quinquenervis).
Scouler's Catchfly (Silene scouleri) .
Scouler's Catchfly with its very distinctive watermelon-like calyx.
A large fly feeding on Richardson's Geranium (Geranium richardsonii).
As the trail climbs Aspen (Populus tremuloides) begin to make an appearance.
White to very pale blue flowers of Many-Flowered Stickseed (Hackelia floribunda).
Yellow mushrooms on a rotting ponderosa log.
Richardson's Geranium wet with the morning's rain.
Closeup of Richardson's Geranium.
Bark of the Aspen tree.
A view of the lush forest trail.
Silver and black fungus beetles. On researching these guys I've come across three names: Big Fungus Beetle (Cypherotylus californicus), Rough Fungus Beetle (Cypherotylus asperus) and Pleasing Fungus Beetle (Gibbifer californicus) all apparently refering to the this same beetle.
Fungus beetles (as their namesake suggests) feeding on a large fungus.
Horse-Mint (Agastache pallidiflora).
Richardson's Geranium growing on a mossy log.
A very interesting coral fungus.
At the higher elevations the forest has become a mix of Aspen and firs.
A dense grove of Aspen.
A large mushroom pushing up through the forest debris.
A view through the tall Aspens.
On the upper reaches of the trail the trail is covered with White Fir (Abies concolor) cones, needles, and branches.
Bright orange fungus growing on the base of a rock.
At the intersection with the Bixler Trail. I head straight at this intersection and continue the climbing and switchbacking for another 1/2 mile or so up to the forest service road which leads to the lookout.
The Bill Williams Mountain Trail climbing through the Aspen forest.
The large rock outcropping seen through the moss covered trees signal that were almost to the forest service road.
A view looking west toward Bixler Mountain and beyond.
The Bill Williams Mountain Trail ends here where it meets up with Forest Service Road 111. This is a nice shady place to take a rest after all the hard climbing.
The weary hiker catches his breath (there's not much oxygen up here at 9000 feet) before heading on up the road to the top of Bill Williams Mountain.
The lookout is an easy 1/2 mile or so up the road.
The wonderful flower of the Yellow Columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha).
A closer view of the Yellow Columbine.
A northerly view from Forest Road 111.
A clusters of ladybugs or ladybird beetles (Hippodamia convergens).
Silverstem Lupine (Lupinus argenteus), aka Silvery Lupine, growing alongside the forest service road.
It's crowded on top of Bill Williams Mountain with several communication towers.
Those dark clouds reached the top just as I did and brought with them lightning, thunder and a hard downpour. I quickly decided not to climb the lookout tower (not visible in this photo) and got down from the mountain top in a hurry.
A stand of Aspen trees wet from the thunderstorm that move across the mountain.
After the thunderstorm the hike down the trail became a little soggy.
Heading down the trail.
The trail passes by a large lichen covered boulder.
Bill Williams Mountain Trail.
I haven't had a scat photo for a while...so here goes... Elk(?) scat wet from the recent rains.
Closeup view of the Wild Geranium (Geranium caespitosum) flower.
A small pool formed as the thunderstorm moved through.
Heading down the rain soaked trail.
Cloudy skies and trees reflecting in the puddles along the trail.
A ponderosa snag. Notice all the fallen braches laying at the base of the tree.
A northerly view through the forest near the hike's end. The building below is part of the ranger station complex near the trailhead.
Aspen Fleabane?
The yellow flower of the Mountain Parsley (Pseudocymopterus montanus) stands out against the backdrop of a dark log.