Early Summer Routes in Oregon's Northern Blue Mountains
Posted: June 28th, 2016, 7:45 am
We get a lot of requests for hikes to do in our spring. It's "summer" on the academic calendar, so people want to get out and do high mileage trips "not in the Gorge," but the high Cascades are still full of snow. Over the years, I've recommended a lot of trips in the desert areas of Eastern Oregon, but here are some ideas from a different area: the Blue Mountains north of I-84 and south of the Washington border. While it's only a 4 hour drive away (on average), this area gets a lot less use by Portlanders. The views can be great, the wildflowers are beautiful and long-lived, and the snow melts earlier here than the high Cascades. The North Fork Umatilla Wilderness and Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness both have networks of legacy trails that have good car access and the potential for long, very wild loops.
I bought my copy of Sullivan's 100 Hikes in Eastern Oregon in 2009, and I've been whittling away at these hikes ever since. My long term goal is to hike all of the routes he recommends. It'll take me about 30 years, I think. Anyway, I've been working at a music camp at Wallowa Lake since 2010, and I've usually been able to tack a few days of hiking and mountain biking on to both ends of the trip, so I can break up the drive, get some exercise, and check off some trails in this otherwise out of the way area. It's been very rewarding, and I've come to love these sort of relaxed mountains dearly. Here are some recommendations. I'll start with the hikes that I recommend whole heartedly, and finish with a few others that aren't my favorite but you might love.
My favorite, so far, is the Ninemile Ridge Trail. This trail has easy road access and is about 25 miles past Pendleton. The route starts in forest and then moves into sparse trees:
Most of the hike is in meadows facing South, which means early snow-melt and flowers:
If the weather is clear, you might get to see the silhouette of Mt Adams and Mt Rainier in the distance at sunset:
Or you might get to see a bear digging for bulbs in the meadow:
The views from the top of the ridge are quite worth the walk, and there's a flat area which allows for level camping, if you want to see the sun go down and the moon go up:
The walk down in the morning will be refreshing:
I bought my copy of Sullivan's 100 Hikes in Eastern Oregon in 2009, and I've been whittling away at these hikes ever since. My long term goal is to hike all of the routes he recommends. It'll take me about 30 years, I think. Anyway, I've been working at a music camp at Wallowa Lake since 2010, and I've usually been able to tack a few days of hiking and mountain biking on to both ends of the trip, so I can break up the drive, get some exercise, and check off some trails in this otherwise out of the way area. It's been very rewarding, and I've come to love these sort of relaxed mountains dearly. Here are some recommendations. I'll start with the hikes that I recommend whole heartedly, and finish with a few others that aren't my favorite but you might love.
My favorite, so far, is the Ninemile Ridge Trail. This trail has easy road access and is about 25 miles past Pendleton. The route starts in forest and then moves into sparse trees:
Most of the hike is in meadows facing South, which means early snow-melt and flowers:
If the weather is clear, you might get to see the silhouette of Mt Adams and Mt Rainier in the distance at sunset:
Or you might get to see a bear digging for bulbs in the meadow:
The views from the top of the ridge are quite worth the walk, and there's a flat area which allows for level camping, if you want to see the sun go down and the moon go up:
The walk down in the morning will be refreshing: