Category: Where-to
Learn more about destinations in the high desert.
Best Bets for Fall
As the days cool down and our thoughts turn to cozy campfires and the first few flakes of snow, Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick has rounded up a few best bets for experiencing Oregon’s high desert in fall 2018. Remember, Oregon’s high desert is a dynamic place, so, as always, check current conditions...
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Bikepacking the Steens Loop
If you’ve ever dreamed of a desert bike trip circling Steens Mountain, this post from Central Oregon Wheelers members Ben Groeneveld and Kevin Briggs won’t do anything to dissuade you.
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Get into the Fremont
We hear a common refrain from people when they get back from a trip in the Fremont: “I wish I’d gone hiking in the Fremont years ago! If only I’d known about it!” If you’re not familiar with the wonders of the Fremont, please allow us to introduce you! Here are our best tips...
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10 Summer Adventures in Eastern Oregon
Escape the heat, or at least take your mind off the dog days of summer, with these 10 adventures found around Oregon’s high desert and along the Oregon Desert Trail (ODT). From festivals to star-gazing and bike riding, we have something for everyone to enjoy east of the Cascades.
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Getting Started in the Pueblos
About the Pueblo Mountains Part of the Great Basin, the Pueblo Mountains are a remote north-south oriented mountain range in southeastern Oregon and northwestern Nevada, just south of Steens Mountain and Alvord Desert. Although it is not as large as neighboring Steens, this 30-mile long range is also a fault block mountain. Most of...
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Birding at Malheur
A guide to watching migrating birds at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for first-time visitors. Few events will put you in touch with the rhythms of the natural world quite like watching a migration. Oregonians are lucky to have one of North America’s great animal migrations right in our backyard. Each spring and fall...
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Ten Springtime Adventures
Have the longer days and warmer temps led you to experience bouts of day-dreaming and window-gazing? Put that wanderlust to work! Plan on your trip to the desert, and get out there! With flowers blooming, birds migrating and roads drying out, spring is just about the best time to explore southeast Oregon. Here, we...
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Ten Winter Adventures in the High Desert
Five for No Snow, Five for Snow. Winter in Oregon’s high desert can look and be quite different from one year to the next. In winter 2017, copious snowfall covered much of the sagebrush sea with feet of fun for skiers and snowshoers. The 2018 winter season, so far, has lent itself more to...
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Owyhee Beckoning
Julie Weikel grew up in ‘ION’ country, the area where Idaho, Oregon and Nevada’s borders meet. She worked for over four decades in the area as a large animal vet, building an intimate, deep knowledge of the Owyhee’s people, history, land, water and wildlife. She’s traveled extensively throughout the Owyhee Canyonlands and explored many...
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Exploring Eastern Oregon by Boat
ONDA Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick shares a “water alternate” option to the hiking route on the Chewaucan River. She likes to say, “rivers are trails too” and hopes others are inspired to view our desert landscapes from a different angle. The remote landscapes of eastern Oregon are often best explored on...
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