Eagle Cap Wilderness
Although I have not been everywhere and likely will not come close to achieving anywhere close to an “everywhere” travel status in my lifetime I will state that there probably are not many more places more breathtakingly beautiful than the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa Mountain Range of Oregon. I have often described this place as one that finds its way into your soul and never leaves you alone after that. Once you have backpacked any sections of the wild and remote network of 535+ miles of trails that crisscross up to and away from the Eagle Cap Peak, the very heartbeat of this glacially carved landscape you will want to return. This peak stands guard at 9,577 feet over the approximately 42 named alpine lakes and the surrounding eight glacial valleys that emanate out from its granite flanks. The mountain range boasts an astounding 17 peaks all over 9,000 feet where Eagle Cap is not even the highest as this belongs to nearby Sacajawea Peak at 9,838 ft. Further assaulting the senses when taking in this range is the fact that in addition to the 17 peaks over 9,000 there are 30 more that are above 8,000 ft.
Yes, this place is that astounding and could occupy a lifetime for anyone who wanted to explore the entirety. Another thing that makes this range special is the sheer fact of how remote it remains geographically. The trailheads are a 7 hour drive from Portland, Oregon and 3 hours from Boise so if you desire solitude this is the place to go. There are 12 primary trailheads that enter the wilderness from each point of the compass and many of these require a substantial drive over gravel forest road to get to so this helps keep the wild in wilderness for this part of the country. There is a state park located on Wallowa Lake so the trail from this point tends to be busy. If you are seeking solitude you might come in from another direction such as Two Pan Trailhead that follows either of the two forks of the Lostine River up to Minam Lake or the Lakes Basin area, depending on which side of the substantial ridgeline that you choose to navigate.
The photo included with this post today is looking down from the Eagle Cap into the East Lostine River Valley where you can see Mirror Lake in the foreground and the imposing Sacajawea Peak on the right side looming over the valley floor. Mirror Lake is approximately 13 miles from the Two Pan trailhead and a steady climb so be prepared physically and you will need to stay the night (or more!) to enjoy this area.
One of my fondest memories of my last trip here several years ago was a day that our group climbed up and over the ridge separating the Lostine forks to camp at Minam Lake. It was a fairly long hike from Douglas Lake to Minam and we arrived tired and ready to rest. Looming overhead though was a significant thunderstorm so we quickly set up our tents and dove into each of our individual tents for shelter. Sure enough it began to rain and thunder and lightning for several hours but a small miracle happened… I immediately fell into the deepest most relaxing thunderstorm induced (and trail fatigued) sleep I had ever experienced and did not wake up for 4 hours. What made this truly special though was when I finally emerged from my tent I discovered that the other guys had also just experienced the most wonderful nap of their lives! Fortunately, one of the guys had the foresight to get a nice hot fire going just before the rain started and had hot coals buried just deep enough in the fire pit that we had an immediate fire to warm up with and and excellent freeze dried dinner to share together. God was good to bring rest in the storm and all of us will never forget that incredible moment together.
I hope that this little bit of “trail lore” has given you the itch to get out and explore and hopefully to go check out this extraordinary area. As usual, it is not my intention to write a comprehensive guide as there are many great resources for that and you probably don’t need another. What I am hoping with these chats is to simply share stories and hopefully give you some nudge to go explore one of these places that I am writing about. If you do, let me know and we can swap stories!
As always, God bless and have a wonderful day!
