Chaffin Butte or the “C” Hill stands above Corvallis and is accessed via an easement through private property. The flanks of the hill are covered with big sagebrush and scattered stunted ponderosa pine. The soils are rocky and dry, and the plant life can be likened to those communities found in the Big Hole Valley and the Great Basin, in general. The hike is steep, like over a 1,000 vertical feet in little more than a mile. The footing can be tricky, especially when your attention is grabbed by a Rock Wren or seeing the seldom-seen flora. Speaking of unusual flora, at the apex of Chaffin Butte, a small latch of Brittle Pricklypear Cactus grows next to the larger boulders.
