General Info

• Full list of events on the Wallowa County Calendar of Events; each weekend in the summer has something happening 

• Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce

• Sunset Magazine, feature article

• Your Guide to Oregon’s Wallowa County, Sunset Magazine

• City of Joseph tourism info

Activities

Favorite day hikes

• The 6-mile east moraine from the north end of the lake to the south end of the lake; get milkshakes afterwards (see pic, east moraine is one on the left––great views); mini-golf afterwards before taking the *free* shuttle bus back to town.

• From the trailhead at the south end of the Wallowa Lake: Aneroid Lake (difficult climb) or West Fork (easier, follows the riverbed) – both out and back.

• Hurricane Creek trailhead (on the backroad to Enterprise).

• Blue Hole - ice cold swimming hole in deep beautiful backcountry; 1 hour drive, 2 mile hike.

• Pick an alpine lake to climb to from the Lostine River Canyon (i.e. Maxwell Lake), the whole canyon is beautiful. Grab a snack at M. Crow on the way home.

Other ideas in no particular order

• Terminal Gravity Brewing (great burgers & beers) 

• Zumwalt Prairie (11k acres managed by The Nature Conservancy; wild flowers and elk)

• The Tramway (3,700 feet of vertical ascent to the top of Mount Howard; hike and have a snack). 

• Take a day trip out the Imnaha Highway to Hat Point Overlook (of the Snake River) in Hells Canyon. The drive is gorgeous; stop on way out/back for a meal at the Imnaha Tavern.

• Wallowa Lake boat rentals – There is a marina at the south end to rent boats and a kayak rental in Joseph; rent a pontoon or speed boat for daytime boating or nighttime glass bottomed boats.

• We have a blow-up, 2-person kayak (Sawtooth Tributary) that you can use anytime. There are free lifejackets available to use at the lake.

• Whitewater rafting – A day trip out of Minam (set up here) or a longer trip with Winding Waters along the Snake or Grande Ronde Rivers.

• Fly fish with Liza Jane and the 6Ranch crew.

• Horseback riding – 2-hour, half day or full day rides from the lake. 

• JoRail Riders - Fun way to see some backcountry and get a light workout.

• Art Gallery & Bronze Foundry Tour. 

• Make-your-own glass blown sculpture in Enterprise.

• JoHard (Voted Oregon's best hardware store, 2017!)

• Nighttime dark skies to stargaze and enjoy the Milky Way; check out whether the full moon will be lighting up the sky while you are visiting (Farmers Almanac).

• Nature walks, outdoor concerts at the Wallowa Lake Lodge.

• Yoga or sauna at Wallowa Avenue Wellness.

• Rent e-bikes from Jennings Hotel and bomb around.

Backpacking Trips

Wallowa River Loop Trail

Two summers ago in August, we hiked the Wallowa River loop (map) in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, leaving from a trailhead about 6 miles from our house at the head of Wallowa Lake. We had perfect weather and saw some big horn sheep and adorable otters, but thankfully no bears.

From our house, you can walk out the front door to the free tourist shuttle bus stop downtown and ride 10 minutes to the trailhead to start the hike. We did that for this hike and it was pretty rad. Pretty nifty to be able to take a bus to the wilderness! If you really wanted to walk the whole way, it is possible to depart from our house on foot and add 6 miles to walk the spine of the east moraine to the Wallowa Lake Trailhead. 

In total, we took 4 days/3 nights, ~36 miles and ~7000' elevation gain. Summary of the hike here (suggesting 1 additional day, not necessary).

• Thursday. Left Wallowa Lake St Park (trailhead @4400') and hiked to Aneroid Lake (7500'). 6.3 miles, 3200' elevation gain.

• Friday: Hiked to Frazier Lake (7120'), over Polaris Pass (8850'), down to river floor and back up to campsite. 11.8 miles, 2200' elevation gain.

• Saturday: Hiked to Douglas Lake (~7130'), over Glacier Pass (8500'). 8.5 miles, 1500' elevation gain.

• Sunday: Hike out to trailhead, 9.4 miles, loss of elevation.

Going clockwise, day two was the hardest because we climbed over Polaris Pass with endless switchbacks on the way down through scree. I ended up losing my big right toe nail a couple weeks later. It was gnarly. There is a way to do this in two chunks for two separate, two or three night excursions. A) Do the east side with two nights base-camping at Aneroid Lake, with day two being an exploration of Tenderfoot Pass. B) Do the west fork of the Wallowa River up to the Lakes Basin region and base camp at Douglas Lake (or other).

Ice Lake and Matterhorn/Sacagawea Summit(s)

From the Wallowa Lake TH, need two nights minimum. Link to route map. 

• Day one: 8 miles to Ice Lake, basecamp. 

• Day two: 4-mi round trip to summit Matterhorn Peak (Could double summit Sacajawea, sounds much more difficult). 

• Day three: 8-mi return to Joseph. All in, about 21 miles and 5,500 feet of elevation gain. 

Hells Canyon Trail

Map link and description link. Best to do this earlier or later; July is really hot and the rattlesnakes are out!