RED HILLS AREA

This area is near Chinese Camp and contains a very unique habitat and plant community. The bulk of the land is under the control of the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). There are some species that are only found in this area and nowhere else and as such some of them are endangered and/or protected either on listings by the federal or state government. The serpentine soils and the seasonal water availability both contribute to many interesting and in some cases very limited sightings of certain species. In most flower guides to the Central Sierras and their foothills, this area is listed as a must see. I most enjoy this area from the middle of April to the middle of June in most years. Like any other wildflower viewing area in the Tuolumne county vicinity, blooming times and periods are highly dependent on the vagaries of weather and moisture. These variances may delay the start of the flowering, shorten the duration of it, reduce the number of species and their germinated numbers, lengthen the blooming period, and/or produce a blooming season of longer than “normal” length. Having said this, it is one of my favorite areas because of the ease of observation. From the road that transverses the area it is possible to stop and see more than 90% of the available flowers. For the remainder all you need is to take hikes of no more than 2-3 miles round trip to see the balance.