Fires, fires everywhere....I was going to go to Washington but as soon as I had completely solidified that plan, a fire started in the exact area I was heading, so I decided to go to Eastern Oregon instead, back into the Eagle Cap Wilderness. I can always count on trails being cleared there, and the air quality looked good, so I got ahold of the Joseph Rodeo Grounds and arranged to spend four nights there.
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| On the East Fork Wallowa River Trail. |
When I called ahead I didn't actually speak to anyone on the phone, and no one ever returned my call, but someone answered an email I sent, and gave me very basic information. The funny thing was, she mentioned I should enter via Alder Rd. because it has easier access for a horse trailer, and she gave me a gate code. So I drove in that way, unlocked the gate, looked across to the other entrance on Wallowa Ave. and immediately noticed that that gate was wide open, and stays that way all the time, with plenty of room to swing a trailer in!
The rodeo grounds are pretty small, and it was nice and quiet there. It's only $10 per night, per horse, and there are large pens, with water, and it's within walking distance of downtown, with access to restaurants etc.
There is a camp host guy that stays there, and a self pay box mounted on a pole, although I had to ask the guy where it was, since there is no information posted anywhere about overnight stays. The bathrooms are locked, when there are no events going on, but there were about nine porta potties set up when I arrived. However when I returned from my ride the next day, they had all vanished into thin air, and never did reappear, so I would not rely on there being bathroom access.
The first two rides I wanted to do were from the Wallowa Lake Trailhead which can be pretty busy, it's close to the lake, resort, and campground areas which are always teeming with tourists, and unlike most trailheads in the Wallowa's it doesn't have the best situation for camping. I had been there many years before on a hiking trip and figured I wouldn't want to stay there, which is why I went to the rodeo grounds instead.
But if you do want to camp at the trailhead, the parking is alongside the road, on a hill, and you can highline or tie to hitching rails. There is a bathroom across the road, in a picnic area. To add to the ambiance, there is also a power station right nearby that makes a loud humming noise constantly.
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| Wallowa Lake Trailhead. |
I decided to do Ice Lake first. Once you leave the trailhead there is a choice of either the East Fork Wallowa River Trail or the West Fork Wallowa River Trail and Ice Lake is on a side trail off of the West Fork.
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| On the West Fork Wallowa Trail. |
Just after the junction, there is a creek crossing which is not for inexperienced horses, and then the trail climbs up and up and up, with numerous switchbacks until you reach the lake, which is stunning. This ride is 15 miles with 3300 feet elevation gain. Your horse does need to be in shape, but there aren't any big drop offs, and the switchbacks are pretty easy, although there are rocky sections.
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| On the trail to Ice Lake. |
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| On the trail to Ice Lake. |
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| Waterfalls along Adam Creek on the trail to Ice Lake. |
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| On the trail to Ice Lake. |
Once I got there, and saw how big the lake was, and that there were only a few people around, I found a nice little private spot, stripped down to my knickers, and hopped in the lake. Very refreshing!
On the western end of the lake is The Matterhorn, a mountain that looks like it has snow on it, but it is actually white marble.
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| Ice Lake. |
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| The Matterhorn at Ice Lake. |
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| Views on the way back down from Ice Lake. |
The following day I drove back over to the same trailhead, but this time I rode The East Fork Wallowa River Trail to Aneroid Lake, and a little beyond, to Camp Halton.
This is a 12 mile ride with 3000 feet elevation gain, but it's a more gradual climb than Ice Lake. On the way you will encounter a waterfall, a hydroelectric dam, a few meadows, and Roger Lake.
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| On the East Fork Wallowa Trail. |
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| Wallowa Lake views from the East Fork Wallowa Trail. |
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| The hydroelectric dam on the East Fork Wallowa Trail. |
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| A meadow on the East Fork Wallowa Trail. |
This is one of the trails I had hiked in the past, but back then, once I had gotten to the lake, I turned around and went back, without even realizing the cabins at Camp Halton were there. So this time I rode past the lake to the outskirts of the camp, left my horse behind, and walked in to see the area. Right away I met the caretaker, and he said I could wander around all I wanted. This is private property and the cute cabins are the remnants of a silver mine. Outfitters take people in to look at the place, so there is a highline system set up, but you aren't allowed to ride right through the actual cabin area.
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| One of the cabins at Camp Halton. |
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| One of the cabins at Camp Halton. |
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| The view from the cabins at Camp Halton. |
After strolling around for awhile, I collected my horse and went back over to Aneroid Lake, hung out and had lunch. Again there were very few people around, but this time I did not go for a dip.
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| Aneroid Lake. |
That evening I walked through Joseph for awhile, which is a cute little touristy town.
It was hot, just in general, and being in Joseph instead of at a higher elevation trailhead, meant it did not really cool off that much at night. Plus there were ALOT of flies at the rodeo grounds, but despite all of that I still liked it there, and had planned to stay all four nights. However, it got smoky on the third night, and in the morning it was even smokier, so I abandoned ship, and drove over to McCully Trailhead instead.
This trailhead is about 10 miles from Joseph, but there are no signs on the way up, so I stopped at a crossroads, just to make sure I was going the right way. Unfortunately I was parked on a hill, with the whole weight of the trailer pulling on the truck, which caused me to get stuck in park. Oops. I tried numerous times to get it into gear, but it wasn't budging, so I hiked up a nearby hill to get cell service, called my trusty mechanic ( his free advice has saved my ass a few times ) and got some tips to try, including just forcing it, if I could. When I got back to the trailer a guy was walking his dog on the road and I told him he needed to get behind the trailer and push it forward a couple of inches. He said "maybe in my younger years ". I was kidding, of course, but that was one thing that might have worked. Instead I was finally able to get it unstuck, (maybe it just needed a moment?!) and I continued up to the trailhead. Note to self: put the emergency brake on first, if on a hill, before putting it in park, not the other way around.
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| McCully Trailhead. |
McCully Trailhead is a loop with no actual camping spots, but you can park and either tie to the various hitching rails or put up your own corral. There is a bathroom and a loading ramp and it is free if you have a NW Forest Pass, or $5.00 per day if you don't, and you can pay right at the trailhead. There is a nearby creek, but it is across the road, and down a very steep embankment, so it is not a good source for stock water. I didn't have much in the way of cell service, it came and went, but texts came through reliably.
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| McCully Trailhead. |
It was a lot less smoky, when I arrived which was nice, but it was still drifting through the valley as I started the ride. This trail and trailhead do not get a lot of use, presumably because there is not a lake as a destination. My hiking book stated that I would likely see no one while out there, and that was true, even on a Friday. The trail climbed steadily, staying near the creek, and then it started to open up, with some mountain ringed meadows in the McCully Basin area.
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| On the McCully Basin Trail. |
My hiking book also mentioned that once I got to where the trail became a lot steeper, I could either keep going for awhile towards McCully Pass or if I was adventurous, which clearly I am, I could bush whack across a ridge, and I would find a large meadow. So that is what I did. There is not even a user trail into there, and it was unmolested by humans, just a lot of signs of elk and/or other critters that have spent time bedded down in this beautiful area. I could have happily done the same, with plenty of grass and water for my horse, it was tempting to stay up higher, away from the smoke.
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| One of the meadows in McCully Basin. |
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| The first large meadow in McCully Basin. |
Instead I eventually left my little Shangri La and continued riding until I reached about 8500 feet, where the trail becomes pretty faint and climbs steeply up to the pass. I hung out up there for awhile, and as I was looking back down towards the trailhead, the smoke cloud was very evident. I did about 12 or 13 miles that day with approximately 2400 feet elevation gain, but this trail is less rocky, and I could move out a lot quicker.
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| Continuing towards McCully Pass. |
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| Nearly at the top of McCully Pass. The smoke cloud was evident down below. |
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| Heading back down the McCully Basin Trail. |
That night unfortunately the smoke stuck around, and the next day it was even thicker. My original plan had been to go to another trailhead nearby, and do one more ride, but I couldn't even see the mountains I had ridden into the day before. So I drove back down, to where I had cell service, and looked up the air quality in other areas. I had a couple of ideas in mind of places I could stop on the way back. But once I had passed all of the options, and had also gotten to the top of Cabbage Hill, and STILL there was no clear air, I gave up, and realized I would have to cut the trip short, and continue all the way back home.
The last time I was in this exact area of the Eagle Cap, I was chased out early by thunderstorms, this time by smoke. All that means, is that I need to go back again!
