Hiking in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho

The public lands of Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho provide excellent hiking and backpacking opportunities, from high mountain peaks to desert canyons. The most popular backpacking trails are in the Eagle Cap, Sawtooth, Strawberry and Seven Devils wilderness areas; with a little careful planning, however, it is easy to stay away from crowds.

I live in Eastern Oregon, and have hiked in all of the areas listed below. This site is not intended to be a rehash of my personal hikes. Instead, I've gathered together all the websites I can find that provide useful information about hiking in this distinctive region of the Pacific Northwest. Use it as a starting point for your own wilderness adventures.

If you want shorter hikes in less well known locations, check out the links under "Other local hikes of interest."

Favorite hiking places in eastern Oregon/western Idaho
(With links to GORP and other sites. "Map" refers to topo maps on the Microsoft© Terraserver website.)

None of these links are mine, so I claim no credit! I've pointed out the most popular areas. Avoid them if you don't like running into other hikers.

1	-	Steens Mountain (GORP). BLM camping and hiking trails. Steens Mountain photographs by Dave Anderson. Loop Road. Map.
2	-	Malheur National Forest-(Wildernet ), Strawberry Mountain Wilderness , USFS trail info . Map . The most popular spot is Strawberry Lake.
3	-	Monument Rock Wilderness, near Unity, Oregon. Here's the USFS site. Map. Very popular with deer and elk hunters during the Fall hunting season.
4	-	North Fork John Day Wilderness near Baker City, Oregon. USFS. Umatilla N.F. Trails. Map.
5	-	Elkhorn Mountain Trails, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (GORP)-USFS, Baker R.D. Trails. Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway. Map. Expect to see lots of dayhikers around Anthony Lakes on summer weekends.
6	-	Eagle Cap Wilderness (GORP), (USFS), (Backpacker.com). USFS Trail Descriptions. Other trail descriptions: Mirror Lake, Ice Lake, Wallowa Lake Trails. Panoramic Photos. Map. The most popular hikes in the Wallowa Mountains are to the Lakes Basin from the East Lostine, Hurricane Creek and Wallowa Lake trailheads. Hike into the Wallowas from the southern trailheads to avoid crowds (but not horses).
7	-	Leslie Gulch/Succor Creek Byway, Leslie Gulch info, Succor Creek camping, Lake Owyhee State Park, Owyhee Uplands (excellent photos). Map. Most people just drive through Leslie Gulch; you won't find many hikers, except for deer hunters in the Fall. The canyons of Leslie Gulch are well worth exploring. Look for bighorn sheep. The canyon country north of Leslie Gulch includes the colorful Honeycombs area, Painted Canyon and Carlton Canyon, reachable on rough dirt roads or by boat from Lake Owyhee. Get directions from the Vale BLM District office. Honeycombs Map. (Thanks to Clint Shock of the Malheur Experiment Station for the many canyon pictures!)
8	-	Hells Canyon. Hiking Trails (USFS site). Ecosystem info. Scenic Byway. Map.
9	-	Seven Devils Mountains (Backpacker.com) or GORP. Trails. Map. The Seven Lakes Basin is popular.
10	-	Payette National Forest, Trails (East), Trails (West), Trail Conditions . Gary Ertter's Photos. Map.
11	-	Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness . Bighorn Crags: Ship Island Lake , Barking Fox Lake , Big Clear Lake , Map of Soldier Lakes.
12	-	Sawtooth Wilderness, Trail Chart, National Forest info, Cramer-Hidden Lakes, Imogene Lake , Current Recreation Reports.Map. The Alice-Toxaway Lake Loop trail is popular.
13	-	Sun Valley Guide-2001 , -2002. Pioneer Mtns, Boulder-White Clouds, Smoky Mtns . Hiking the Smokies. Ketchum-Galena Area Trail Map (PDF). Lost River RD Hiking. Kane Lake. Map .
14	-	Owyhee Desert Hikes (Sheldon Bluestein's site). Jump Creek Falls -(PDF Map) (Topo Map ). Owyhee Uplands Byway (PDF Map). Owyhee Panoramic Photos .Terraserver Map .
15	-	Boise National Forest (GORP ). Hiking Trails . Emmett R.D. Trails & Hot Springs . Map . The trails near Shafer Butte are popular.

Keeney Pass (short hike on the Oregon Trail near Vale, Oregon ). Map.
Weiser River Trail (84-mile rail-to-trail corridor starting near Weiser, Idaho). Map.
Sturgill and Hitt Peaks, Idaho. Map. Photo (66k).
Cuddy Mtn., Cambridge, Idaho. Map.
Council Mtn., Council, Idaho. Map. Photo (134k).
Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park, Idaho. Map.
Boise foothills Ridge to Rivers Trail System . Map of Hulls Gulch. The web of trails radiating into the Boise foothills are very popular on weekends. You'll share them with hikers, joggers and mountain bikers. These trails are the pride of Boise and are well worth a visit, especially when you want to stretch your legs before the snow is gone from the backcountry.
Snake River Birds of Prey NCA. NCA Trail Map (PDF format), Area Hikes. Terraserver Map.

Traverse Lake	Upper Leslie Gulch	Johnstone Pass	Wallowa Lake

Hiking in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho

If you want shorter hikes in less well known locations, check out the links under "Other local hikes of interest."

Road Map

Favorite hiking places in eastern Oregon/western Idaho
(With links to GORP and other sites. "Map" refers to topo maps on the Microsoft© Terraserver website.)

None of these links are mine, so I claim no credit! I've pointed out the most popular areas. Avoid them if you don't like running into other hikers.

Hiking in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho

If you want shorter hikes in less well known locations, check out the links under "Other local hikes of interest."

Road Map

Favorite hiking places in eastern Oregon/western Idaho (With links to GORP and other sites. "Map" refers to topo maps on the Microsoft© Terraserver website.)

None of these links are mine, so I claim no credit! I've pointed out the most popular areas. Avoid them if you don't like running into other hikers.

Favorite hiking places in eastern Oregon/western Idaho
(With links to GORP and other sites. "Map" refers to topo maps on the Microsoft© Terraserver website.)