Did a really fun loop in the Wallowas from 8/4 - 8/7. Hiked about 45 Miles with 8,000k of gain. Started at the Wallowa Lake TH and walked down the road to the tramway. Took the tram up Mt Howard and walked the ridge going south over East Peak and then on to Aneroid. Dropped down Aneroid and set up camp at Dollar lake. 6ish miles 2,700 gain.
Day 2 I went from dollar lake over tenderfoot pass over to Polaris pass. From there I went up to Sentinel Peak and then back to the pass and down into the West fork of the Wallowa River. Hike up from there to Glacier Lake and camped there. 16ish miles 3,700 gain.
Day 3 I hiked up and over Glacier pass down into the lakes basin and hike over and up to Eagle Cap. From there I double back down to the basin and hike out to Horseshoe lake to camp there for the night. 12ish miles 3,000 gain.
Day 4 I hiked out from horseshoe lake nice and early and got back to my truck for the long drive home to Portland at about 10am. 9ish miles.
Had a really great time, and saw very few people until the lakes basin. Bugs were bad but manageable. The elevation took me by surprise a bit. 10/10 would do again.
I created a YouTube video of the trip that you can find here: https://youtu.be/x8JRAzKKH6I
Big Wallowa Loop - Aneroid to Eagle Cap
Big Wallowa Loop - Aneroid to Eagle Cap
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Re: Big Wallowa Loop - Aneroid to Eagle Cap
Nice! How were the crowds out there?
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased
Re: Big Wallowa Loop - Aneroid to Eagle Cap
I didn’t see anyone until I got down to the Wallowa River going up to Glacier Lake. Glacier lake had some folks but wasn’t too bad. Didn’t really see anyone around eagle cap. Overall I got a good amount of solitude. I chalk that up mostly to going mid week.
Re: Big Wallowa Loop - Aneroid to Eagle Cap
Was there a trail or obvious route from Mt Howard to Dollar lake? Any trouble finding a safe route?
I've been wanting to hike that route but have been reluctant as I'm usually hiking solo.
I've been wanting to hike that route but have been reluctant as I'm usually hiking solo.
Re: Big Wallowa Loop - Aneroid to Eagle Cap
Navigating from Mt Howard to Android was not too difficult. There were some trails that I hopped on/off. I wanted to stay on the high point of the ridge the whole time so it wasn’t too hard to do that. The hardest part was going down Aneroid to Dollar lake. No trail and I’m sure there are a couple different ways to make it down. It was super loose scree and some sections that would cliff out a little bit. It took a lot longer for me to get down then I was expecting. Nothing too scary, just needed to take my time. From the bottom of aneroid to dollar lake was a breeze.
Re: Big Wallowa Loop - Aneroid to Eagle Cap
Luke wrote: ↑August 17th, 2020, 6:50 amNavigating from Mt Howard to Android was not too difficult. There were some trails that I hopped on/off. I wanted to stay on the high point of the ridge the whole time so it wasn’t too hard to do that. The hardest part was going down Aneroid to Dollar lake. No trail and I’m sure there are a couple different ways to make it down. It was super loose scree and some sections that would cliff out a little bit. It took a lot longer for me to get down then I was expecting. Nothing too scary, just needed to take my time. From the bottom of aneroid to dollar lake was a breeze.
Thanks for the info. The Wallowa's blow my mind ever time I backpack there.
Enjoyed your video too. Have you hiked in the southern Wallowa's? I like Main Eagle area, even less people than the popular north side trails