Oregon Desert Trail

The Oregon Desert Trail traverses some of the most spectacular natural areas of the state’s dry side, including the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Steens Mountain, the Pueblo Mountains and the Owyhee Canyonlands.

We hope you’ll see for yourself the value of these unique natural landscapes and join us in advocating for their protection and long-term care.

Perhaps you grew up playing the Oregon Trail video game? Well, here’s your chance to face Oregon Trail style challenges in a very real world setting.

The Oregon Desert Trail is a 750-mile route located on public land and public rights-of-way that stitches existing hiking trails, old Jeep tracks, and historical wagon roads together with long stretches of cross-country travel.

As you can read in About the ODT, ONDA imagined and planned this route to encourage explorers to take a choose-your-own-adventure approach to getting to know this region’s many wonders.

Whether you are looking to go a day hike, enjoy a multi-day trip or attempt a complete thru-hike, our Plan A Trip page has the resources you need. All sections of the trail can be explored on foot, and some sections can be travelled on horseback, by boat, by bike, or on skis. Some sections offer easy walks along well-marked paths, while many areas require GPS skills, significant outdoor experience and serious preparation — particularly for water sources. (Follow our water caching advice and you will surely avoid dysentery!)

Where Recreation Meets Conservation

By connecting the remote and stunning regions in Oregon’s high desert with a navigable path, ONDA is immersing hikers in the lands we’ve been striving to protect since the 1980s. Our hope is that by introducing more people to these amazing landscapes, we’re creating new advocates and inspiring people to accept the responsibility to protect, defend and restore Oregon’s high desert for generations to come.