Blooms and Butterflies: Belknap Hot Springs Resort

We are scheduling another visit the beautiful gardens and lush grounds of Belknap Hot Springs Resort. Again this event is scheduled on a weekend to accommodate those members who work during the week.

Three colorful gardens are dispersed on the sylvan grounds with a number of places to peacefully enjoy the scenery or watch the turbulent waters of the McKenzie River flow through the middle of the resort.

In addition to the colorful floral displays, butterflies and dragonflies have been key attractions on our visits. In the past, many large swallowtail butterflies frequented these gardens, especially the main garden along the McKenzie River near the lower pool. We are hoping their numbers have rebounded after a couple years when wildfires were in the area. Swallowtail butterflies are generally much easier to photograph than many other butterflies in the wild.

You are welcome to bring your lunch to enjoy on the patio. Or you can order from the outdoor cafe and grill on the patio with seating next to the river and the feature garden is available if you want a hot or cold drink or a hot meal.

Tentative Timetable

08:30 AM Meet in the parking area near the Cascade Village Starbucks
08:45 AM Ride share to Belknap Hot Springs
10:00 AM Arrive at Belknap Hot Springs
02:30 PM Return to Bend

Photographic Considerations

This outing provides great opportunities for photographers of all skills and all types of equipment. Everyone will have the chance to get some photos they really like. Phones can take great photos here. Others may want to use long telephoto lenses to get closeup images of the blossoms and butterflies.

The lighting on the grounds varies greatly with a number of sunny and shady locations. A tripod or monopod would be very helpful for long exposure photos in low light. The sunnier main garden near the lodge allows for faster speed photography with low to moderate ISO settings to capture the movement of the butterflies or dragonflies.

Photography Venues

The resort provides a number of easy access venues on gravel or grass passageways. To help with exploring the grounds, you can print off the following maps. Alternatively, maps are usually available in the resort lobby. (free)

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