Olalla Canyon blooms draw crowds — and concerns — in Cashmere

CASHMERE — It’s easy to see why Olalla Canyon is one of the most popular areas to hike for Central Washington locals: The lupine and balsamroot blooms have become synonymous with the beauty of the Cascade foothills. The rolling green hills, brown just weeks before, are dotted with the gold and purple that mark the fertile time of year that brings buds, blooms, fruit and one other thing that locals aren’t all that crazy about — tourists.

Since the publication of a pictorial and article about the scenic trail in the local paper of record for the Wenatchee Valley a few years ago, foot traffic on the trail has picked up exponentially. There are good aspects to that, of course: We live in one of the most beautiful areas of the state, and being appreciated for our natural attractions — whether it’s Peshastin Pinnacles State Park, Blackbird island in Leavenworth or even Ohme Gardens down closer to Wenatchee — is a boon to tourism, which keeps many local businesses flush.

More simply put, the people of Cashmere can only eat at Rusty’s so many times per week, and visitors keep the Rustyburgers and milkshakes passing through the drive-through window year round.

But the impact visitors can have on any natural area can be inconvenient, or, at worst, devastating to the local ecology. It’s not just that cars who had a moderately difficult time even finding Olalla don’t know not to park along the road that local residents use to get to their homes. It’s also that too much foot traffic can stunt scrub growth that keeps the hillsides fertile for the blooms that everyone’s enjoying.

Add to that the fact that some hikers are less considerate than others, and generally that means they’re not from this area, and overcrowding of a once mostly unknown (other than to locals) area becomes more than a headache and a distraction. It becomes a source of potential damage. No one wants to see discarded wrappers and bottles, or worse, tiny little tied-off bags of dog waste that folks were courteous enough to pick up, but not kind enough to pack out.

In a Cashmere-related Facebook group, there was recently a discussion about this area among locals who live in the canyon and those who simply live in the valley and are concerned about the area. There has long been a sense of antipathy in this area toward “westsiders” who come to visit Central Washington and leave a mess. But the ones who live there were also confused and concerned about all the cars parked along and sometimes in the road, and worried about it being spoiled.

There may not be a Starbucks every few blocks in Cashmere. There may not be the convenience of an all-night grocery store any closer than Wenatchee. But Cashmere does have balsamroot and lupines. The locals would like your help in preserving them.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media