The rugged and remote Wallowa Mountains in the far northeastern corner of Oregon contain 18 peaks over 9,000 feet and 31 peaks over 8,000 feet, with the picturesque town of Joseph at their base. And Eagle Cap Wilderness, at over 355,000 acres and Oregon's largest wilderness, encompasses the heart of the Wallowa Mountains, once home to the Nez Perce Indians. So far we’ve taken a scenic drive, ridden our bikes through the valley, and hiked into the wilderness. What a beautiful place! I’m having a difficult time finding the words to describe this area, so I’ll just let the photos do the talking and keep the words to a minimum.
Scenic drive north along Oregon Highway 3/ Washington Highway 129. Joseph Canyon Viewpoint.
Hurricane Creek trail into the Eagle Cap Wilderness.
At around three miles we came to an overlook of Slick Rock canyon, a good place for lunch and our turn-around point.
Although we hiked through the trees some of the time, most of the trail was in the open so we could take in the views.
We did a beautiful bike loop around the Wallowa Valley.
Jim bought a strange new saddle in the quest for comfort. After two rides the verdict is it’s going back. New seat on the right, Ride Out Carbon Comfort Seat. (Not comfortable, I tried it, too.)
We have several more things planned for our time in Joseph. Luckily we were able to extend our stay a couple extra nights.
No Trees! A good thing!!! You can see, you can breathe...
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Love the area you are in. We were recently at the Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana and have been catching parts of the Nez Perce Trail for years. You are in a beautiful area!!
ReplyDeleteWe are currently in the East side of Glacier or as I say....the end of the earth. Beautiful hiking....no internet. Heading down to Flathead Lake for a bit then back up the West Side of Glacier.
Absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteBrooks B-17 broken in stopped all my bike saddle troubles.
ReplyDeleteWhat more can you ask for than hiking, driving, biking, forest, and scenic views.
ReplyDeleteReally beautiful. Love the lunch spot over the water.
ReplyDeleteThat seat looks awful. The views are great
ReplyDeleteThank you for the beautiful photos. We are headed there in a couple weeks and your post confirms it was a good choice for our itinerary.
ReplyDeleteHope you like it here as much as we do!
DeleteYou sure are right about a beautiful place. What glorious hiking. Your pictures are stunning. I have such admiration for Chief Joseph and such anger at the way he and his people were treated and actually continue to be treated. If you find a great seat, David would sure like to know. I'm looking up the Brooks B-17. Sure is nice to have helpful commenters.
ReplyDeleteJim and I like our views:) Good to hear there weren't too many trees. Beautiful location. The northwest is on for next summer. This stop looks perfect!
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