Plan A Trip

Oregon Desert Trail

 

To make planning easier, ONDA divided the full 750-mile trail route into four regions and a total of 25 sections of 20 to 40 miles each, all of varying difficulty. Be advised! It is critical to read the guide descriptions in detail and seriously consider any notes on water scarcity or challenging terrain before setting out. Stretches of this trail are exceedingly remote. Make sure you are prepared and be certain to respect private property along the way. Choose a section below to learn more: Challenges & Risks, Desert Travel Tips, and Trail Resources all have extensive information to help you plan your trip.

listen

Great Basin Spadefoot Toads – a sleepy chorus

Great Basin Spadefoot Toads – a sleepy chorus

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.

A Route in the Making

Please share with us what you learn along the way. The Oregon Desert Trail was crafted with the best knowledge at the time and remains a work-in-progress. We incorporate feedback as we receive it and share that information with others.

Jeremy Fox

About the ODT

  An ONDA initiative since 2011, the 750-mile Oregon Desert Trail traverses some of the most spectacular natural areas of the state’s dry side, including Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Steens Mountain, and the Owyhee Canyonlands. While we have surveyed every inch of the route in crafting the Oregon Desert Trail, it remains a...

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Renee Patrick

Community

Connect with other hikers, share your trip reports, explore the trail towns along the route, or plan to attend a future trail presentation. As we build our network of supporters and hikers, we would love to involve you as much as possible. Do you have a service you would like to offer hikers along...

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Sarah Imholt

Get Involved

  Thanks to thousands of volunteer and staff hours and generous support in the form of memberships and donations, the Oregon Desert Trail is now a reality. There are many ways to help shape the future of the route, including joining ONDA, volunteering for trail work, attending a presentation, and becoming a sponsor of...

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Questions about the Oregon Desert Trail?  Send us an email.
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