The Wallowa mountains are located in the northeastern part of Oregon and are part of the Columbia Plateau. The Wallowa Batholith is formed of granite from a magma upwelling in Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous time. The placement of this rock caused uplift of the surface, which at the time was tropical sea. There is no doubt that the Wallowa mountains offer some of the most amazing scenery anywhere located in the lower 48 states. It has the second largest roadless wilderness in the lower 48 and it boasts 37 peaks over 8,000 feet. There are endless amounts of hiking trails throughout the wilderness and you can expect to see some of the most diverse ecosystems and wildlife anywhere. However, if you want to explore the Wallowa’s, you will want to plan on bringing your A game! The trails are very steep, long and very strenuous. The entire wilderness area is a backpackers dream but if you are only planning a day trip you will want to study your options very carefully since most of the mountain lakes are over a day hike away. You literally will be pushing your athletic limits just to get to your destination and then you have to hike out again. There are some really good books that will show you all of the hundreds of trails available and then you will just need to decide on your route. The most popular place in the wilderness is right near Wallowa lake state park. The park offers one of the best campgrounds and there are several lodges, yurts and cabins. Most of the backpackers start from this spot since there are a lot of parking spots available and it seems to be the most popular place to start. In fact, most of the best trails start from here and when you get back to your car there are plenty of places where you can immediately get some food or find a place to wash up or crash. I’ve camped at the park several times but I have never backpacked so I have spent a lot of time researching the best trails to start from in order to take advantage of the best things to see and do. However, you will want to keep in mind that if you find a trailhead that you want to start from you will want too keep in mind that most of the forest roads that take your desired spot are very rough and you may need a rig that has a high clearance and possibly 4 wheel drive. Again, this is rough country and the only place where you can avoid the need to go off road to find a trail is from the Wallowa lake campground area. The wilderness is like a giant circle of mountains and you can enter from almost anywhere in order to start your hike but you will find that most of the roads leading to your hiking spot is very primitive and hard to get to. The photo that I posted was taken from Aneroid lake and it’s a very difficult 12 mile hike round trip. The elevation gain was 2,950 and you will feel the pain when you get back to your campsite. However, the views are epic and you will come across some of the most amazing scenery that offers too many to list. No matter what trail you decide on, you can pretty much guarantee that your destination will take you to either a lake or a nearby river. This means that you will want to pack a pair of swim trunks and plan on going for a swim if it’s warm enough. However, the rivers can and are pretty treacherous so you will want to be sure that you aren’t swimming anywhere near a waterfall. The rivers are absolutely massive and thunderous and can really ruin your day. However, there are millions of places where the rivers become very slow and calm and will literally be telling you to dawn your swim suite. You will also want to bring as much food as you can possibly carry. You will absolutely burn enough energy to fuel the space shuttle and you won’t want to have to turn around early because your food supply has gotten too low. You also want to be sure and pack a good camera since there are a lot of wildlife that make the Wallow mountains home. Some that you may see are: eagle, hawks, osprey, black bear, elk, deer, moose, fox, coyote and even wolf. I’m sure that I have left some out but you get the picture.
Tag Archives: Wallowa mountains
Wallowa Mountains, Oregon
[/caption] The Eagle Cap Wilderness is part of the Wallowa mountains in Eastern Oregon and if you’re looking for some amazing hiking trails and beautiful scenery, I would plan a trip during the summer months. The snow can last as long as July in the higher elevations, so unless you plan on bringing your snow shoes, you may want to wait until late July to Early August before having the ability to hike well into the interior of the Eagle Cap Wilderness area. The water is so abundant that you will find yourself surrounded by raging waterfalls, creeks and rivers well into late summer. And since the scenery is so diverse and overrun with colors, you may want to bring a tripod in order to avoid any blur or camera shake due to your camera sensor having a difficult time choosing a focal point. The meadows are filled with wildflowers, the mountains are craggy and millions of shadowed drop offs create lots of shade and the forest floor are teeming with green vegetation, which would cause most high elevation mountain ranges to be envious.
Joseph, Oregon
[/caption] Wagon train mural painted on a historic building in downtown Joseph, Oregon. One of the coolest things to do when visiting the Wallowa mountains and Wallowa lake is to take some time to walk the streets of historic Joseph, Oregon. You are literally transformed back into the 1800’s and you will find yourself immersed in the old west whether you like it or not. There is a large number of historic old buildings in this tiny town but you won’t run out of photography opportunities as you wind your way through the streets. This mural was painted on the side of a historic building right in the middle of downtown. There is a small restaurant that has outside seating just below the mural and there are several relics and old antics littering the courtyard. Joesph is truly a magical place that belongs in the history books as one of the most photogenic small towns in America. It also doesn’t hurt that the Wallow mountains tower over the town and you can get some great shots of the mountains standing behind some of the old buildings.
Bonneville Mountain in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, OR
[/caption] The Bonneville mountains are located in the Eagle Cap wilderness and are located just east of Eagle Cap mountain. Eagle Cap mountain is actually just behind Bonneville mountain but isn’t viewable from the area where I was standing. The lake in the foreground is Aneroid lake but if you want to get a view of Eagle Cap you would pretty much have to hike back towards the Wallowa Lake trailhead and head up the Ice Lake trail. There is another hiking trail past Aneroid lake but that hike takes you towards Dollar lake and I’m not sure if you would have a very good view of Eagle Cap.
Aneroid Lake and Aneroid mountain, OR
[/caption] Aneroid Lake is a 12 mile round trip hike that starts at the Wallowa Lake trailhead and gains a total of 3000 feet of elevation gain. You will experience some of the most amazing and mind boggling beauty that you can imagine. The hike itself is pretty difficult so you will want to bring plenty of snacks and water. It took me about 9 hours to complete the entire hike but I did end up spending several hours photographing the mountains as well as the meadows and wildflowers that surround the higher elevations. There are a few campsites available along Aneroid lake and if you’re a backpacker this is definitely a hike that you won’t want to pass up. Due to the distance of the hike and the elevation gain I decided not to bring my tripod and I’m really glad I didn’t. However, I did bring three of my lenses in order to take advantage of the photographic opportunities. This particular photo was taken just below one of the campgrounds along the lakes edge. 9,702 foot Aneroid mountain and 9,675 foot Pete’s Point mountain is visible behind Aneroid lake, looking south. There are dozens of rivers, waterfalls, ponds and creeks all along the hike. There are also several meadows sprawling with wildflowers so you may want to bring along a macro lens. Since I wasn’t using a tripod I made sure to keep a steady hand and turned on the IS. I kept the camera in Program/Normal mode and attached my CIR-PL and warming filter. I had the ISO at 100 and adjusted the white balance in order to take advantage of the glare and saturation of the bright sun. I set the focal length at 17mm in order to get the most panoramic shot as possible as well as include the lakes edge in the bottom of the shot as well as the blue sky in the horizon. I was concerned that parts of the photo would be blurry or out of focus due to the direction of the shot I took or the fact that I had to position the camera at about a 30 degree angle looking down. Some of my shots did end up blurry and somewhat shaky but overall they turned out pretty good. I noticed that most of my photo that I took vertically were better than most of my horizontal shots.
Wallowa Mountains, OR
[/caption] The Wallowa Mountains are located in the northeastern part of Oregon and offer over 360,000 acres of wilderness as well as over 500 miles of scenic hiking trails. You’re literally in the middle of a huge mountain range with nothing but your legs to rely on. There are 31 peaks over 9,000 feet that covers 35 by 60 miles of rugged terrain. The mountains were formed from granite from a magma upwelling in Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous time between 160 million and 120 million years ago. However, there is only one way to describe this part of Oregon and that’s absolutely magnificent! There is no other geographic region in the lower 48 states that offer such a diverse and spectacular display of geology. There are hundreds of alpine lakes, creeks, meadows, grasslands and waterfalls throughout the region and the deepest gorge in the United States (Hells Canyon) is just a stone throws away. In fact, many of the mountains are made up of marble and you can see this near their summit and also in the meadows. You will get a feeling of Oregon’s old west with only a few small towns that are still living in the 1890’s and with good reason. The cattle industry and dude ranches fit right in with the high mountain air along with the towering mountains in the background. You also may find yourself attending one of the many rodeos that take hold during the summer months. And since it’s so isolated, you won’t have to worry about a million tourists destroying your visit. Unlike most National Parks or crowded State Parks, you will only have to deal with a small amount of tourists and wilderness seekers. Wildlife is abound throughout the area and the wildflowers are amazing along the high alpine slopes.
Wallowa Lake, OR
[/caption] One of the best panoramic views of the Wallowa mountains can be found along the northern banks of Wallowa Lake. There are numerous miles of hiking trails that travel deep within the mountains but if you’re short on time or energy you can get some fantastic photos by driving just south of Joseph, OR and then stopping along the lake for some great views. I would recommend spending a few days in this part of Oregon since it’s very hard to get to and the drive from Portland is over 6 hours. However, you will be amazed at the sheer beauty and solitude of the Oregon, cowboy and very western feeling, part of the state. You can expect to see a lot of wildlife such as black bear, deer, elk, bald eagle, hawk and maybe even a wolf. You don’t have to travel to the Rocky mountains to see some of the most amazing and isolated mountains in the country.
Wallowa Mountains, OR
[/caption] The trail that takes you to Bonny Lakes is found in the eastern part of the Wallowa range and is more isolated and less crowded. You have to drive on a fairly rough gravel road once you turn off the highway but you can drive a low clearance car. Just make sure you drive slow and look out for pot holes. The hike along the trail is truly magical. I have never been to a place that is so peaceful and full of so much splendor. It’s like hiking in the Rocky mountains but with Northwest vegetation. You will hike along dozens of creeks, waterfalls and dozens of wildflowers that grow along the creeks and in the meadows. There are panoramic views of the area and the trail is well maintained. Once you get to Bonny Lakes you will be very impressed. The trail passes through each of the two lakes which takes you to a marble outcrop. You can view the meandering marshy meadows that feed into the shallow lakes. If you look closely in this photo you can see the white marble in the lower right corner of the photo. If you look closely and be patient you will probably see some deer and elk feeding in the meadows. I was hoping to hear or even see a pack of wolves since there was a posting at the trail map suggesting that you report any wolf sightings. This photo was taken with my Panasonic DMC-FZ30 and I was using my screw on ultra wide angle lens that I purchased. The focal length was 7mm and the only filter that I was able to use was the UV filter. Unfortunately you can’t use any other filters when the wide angle lens is screwed on the lens. Since I was trying to get as much of the landscape in the photo as possible I attached the wide angle lens. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attach my warming or CIR-PL filter and you can see that the sky is overexposed and grainy as well as the lack of color in the vegetation and dark colored rocks. The sun was also very harsh and I wasn’t able to find any shade to reduce the sun glare. This shot was taken on July 17 at about 2:20pm and the sun was directly overhead. Due to the harshness of the sun the aperture was set at F-2.8 and the shutter speed was 1/20 second. I set the ISO to 80 and the white balance was at 0. Now that I’ve upgraded to a DSLR and have added several lenses and filters I hope to visit the Wallowa mountains again. I still haven’t visited an area more beautiful and scenic than this part of eastern Oregon.