Best Bets for Fall

watch

Oregon Desert Trail Map

Oregon Desert Trail Map

voices

Ryan “Dirtmonger” Sylva, ODT thru-hiker 2017

Ryan “Dirtmonger” Sylva, ODT thru-hiker 2017

“To me, it’s a thru-hike in an isolated place that promotes a conversation in land management, ethics and usage. Hiking across a vast and remote landscape and having a random and chance encounter with cowboys and hunters to discuss how ‘all of us’ should treat the land, how we all have a responsibility, no matter our political leanings, really showed me the pulse of the people in rural areas, especially here out west.”

fact

Connecting Trails

Connecting Trails

The Oregon Desert Trail ties into two National Recreation Trails: the Fremont National Recreation Trail and Desert Trail.

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.

Read More

How to find a hot spring in the dark

ONDA’s Owyhee Canyonlands Coordinator Corie Harlan shares a lesson learned from a particularly epic trip into the Owyhee. Three hours into our drive to Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands, the AC quit working and I had a sinking feeling I’d forgotten my hiking boots – but there was no time to worry about any of that. Giant, […]

Read More

Category: Where-to

Learn more about destinations in the high desert.

Best Bets for Fall

By on October 16, 2018 | Posted in: Uncategorized, Where-to

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...

Read More
biking Steens

Bikepacking the Steens Loop

By on October 12, 2018 | Posted in: How-To, Where-to

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.

Read More

Get into the Fremont

By on August 31, 2018 | Posted in: Where-to

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...

Read More

10 Summer Adventures in Eastern Oregon

By on July 19, 2018 | Posted in: Where-to

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.

Read More
The vast expanse of the Pueblo Mountains.

Getting Started in the Pueblos

By on June 12, 2018 | Posted in: Where-to

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...

Read More

Birding at Malheur

By on April 4, 2018 | Posted in: How-To, Where-to

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...

Read More

Ten Springtime Adventures

By on March 26, 2018 | Posted in: Where-to

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...

Read More

Ten Winter Adventures
in the High Desert

By on January 29, 2018 | Posted in: Uncategorized, Where-to

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 lent itself more to hiking than snow...

Read More

Owyhee Beckoning

By on May 30, 2017 | Posted in: Where-to

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...

Read More

Exploring Eastern Oregon by Boat

By on April 3, 2017 | Posted in: Where-to

  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...

Read More