PACKING AREAS
Sample Trips

DESCRIPTION

SEASON
2010 TRIPS

Jackass Mountain

Peanut Lake
Fivemile Lake
Road Lake Bench

Jackass Mountain is fault-block structure like Steens Mountain but of much smaller dimensions. Some twenty miles long the east-facing scarp rises up to 1200 feet in less than a mile of horizontal distance. Its cliffs tower directly above the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge where the Donner und Blitzen River winds through verdant summer meadows. Raptors, wild horses and pronghorn are common. Views of Steens Mountain can be spectacular. Hidden lakebeds lie embedded in breaks in the scarp while bonzai juniper forests and giant holes in the ground can be found by those who know were to look. This is a spectacular area gone unnoticed in the imensity of Harney Basin.

Back to Top

Winter / Spring

2010
May 1-2, May 14-17
June 18-20

Carrey Tables

Altnow Gap

At Dringkwater Pass, Highway 20 crosses a narrow gap between huge ancient lava flows. To the south they form rimrocked rolling tables isolated by a huge loop of the Malheur River. Grass grows tall here and views fall away into forever. Below the cliffs, if you can find a way through, the land changes abruptly into powdery white deposits left by ancient oceans. Intricate mazes of eroded hills and hide springs of surprising flow and beauty. To the southwest six mile long Warm Springs Reservoir shimmers in the desert sun.

Late Spring / Early Summer

2010
May 30- June 4
July 3-9
August 2-8

Pueblo Mountain

North Pueblo Loop

Pueblo Mountain, lying south of Steens Mountain and rising nearly as high, is of an entirely different character. Unlike Steens Mountain, Pueblo Mountain holds no huge glaciated gorges. Instead it consist of a single main ridgline with a few basins and outlying hills. Vegetation consists mostly of sagebrush and bunchgrass. Compared to Steens' vigorous uplift, this is a 'Grandmother' mountain with mystery and charm all its own, not the least of which is its isolation. Situated far out in the Oregon Outback the surounding human population is scant. There are a few scattered ranches and occupants of the tiny hamlets of Fields and Denio. Otherwise you are alone.

Mid-Late Summer / Early Fall

2010
July 25-31

Steens Mountain

We are frequently asked if we lead trips on Steens Mountain. The answer is no, although we would very much like to. At this time the Bureau of Land Management is issuing no commercial permits for the area. This is a response to its designation as a Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA) and the resultant need for a new management plan. Pending since October of 2000, this plan must be completed before permits will be issued, if they are issued at all. We have been waiting anxiously and are now told the process may begin in the fall of 2009. In the interim we have scouted routes and potential campsites in all areas of the mountain and know the landscape well. We remain hopeful that we will be able to offer trips in this magnificent area in the near future.

Summer / Fall

2010
No Trips Scheduled

PEANUT LAKE PACK TRIP

The face of Jackass Mountain rises as a 1000 foot scarp directly above Frenchglen, Oregon. This trip accesses two of the large lake basins hidden within it. The first day we will follow an old jeep trail that climbs through a notch in the massive cliffs. After breaching the scarp, we traverse north to Peanut Lake using animal trails and cross country routes. Along the way we will pass a bonsai juniper tree forest and side trails leading to stunning views of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and Steens Mountain. Our campsite is at an unnamed lake where high rims protect us from harsh wind and weather. On our second day we retrace our tracks to the parking area on Highway 205 at P-Hill above Frenchglen.

This trip has a 350 foot climb stretched over 0.35 miles creating a 19% grade. It is short but steep. Please note that the lakes are dry this year.

Back to Top | Peanut Lake | Fivemile Lake | Road Lake Bench | North Pueblo Loop

FIVEMILE LAKE PACK TRIP

Fivemile Lake lies on a high terrace hidden in a break of Jackass Mountain's 1200 foot-high rim. To reach it we begin on a jeep trail but quickly switch to animal trails and cross-country travel. Some trails are narrow and demanding while others, particularly the wild horse trails, are easily negotiated. There are several large lakes in this area, all of them dry is year, tucked into spectacular high-rimmed basins. Between Camps 1 and 2 we will visit a juniper forest of particularly old and gnarled specimens that grow out of nearly solid rock. Camp 2 sits in a wind protected hollow with magnificent views of Malheur Wildlife spread out below. Our Third day's route includes walking the top of the mountains' rim in a wildly expansive experience of space and distance.

Alternate campsites on this trip allow us to adjust our daily travel distance effectively to group needs. The following table allows for a short first day's hike.

Back to Top | Peanut Lake | Fivemile Lake | Road Lake Bench | North Pueblo Loop

ROAD LAKE BENCH PACK TRIP

This trip consists of an elogated loop that introduces you to the wildness of the Jackass Mountain rim. The route begins on Highway 205 north of Frenchglen and climbs gradually north through the 1000 foot scarp. The first day's camp is at a large, usually dry lake where deer and pronghorn are common. Herds of wild horses are often seen in this area. Day Two has us following the edge of the scarp south as we scan for golden eagles and marvel at the green ribbon of the Malheur Wildlife refuge far below. Camp for Day Two lies in a hidden terrace well protected from wind and providing stunning views of Steens Mountain rising directly to our east. On day three we drop back through the rim and proceed along the slopes of the scarp to our starting place.

Back to Top | Peanut Lake | Fivemile Lake | Road Lake Bench | North Pueblo Loop

ALTNOW GAP PACK TRIP

Beginning at Drinkwater Pass on Highway 20 about fourty miles east of Burns, Oregon, this trip takes us out onto the high reaches of Carrey table. Broad expanses of native grass, sagebrush and scattered junipers frame vistas of distant Steens Mountain and the rolling country between. In the spring, bighorn sheep can be spotted here. Sage grouse are a possibility and pronghorn are common. The route uses old jeep trails and cattle paths to move us across the rocky country before dropping through massive rimrock cliffs to the powdery ancient seabed soils below. On Day One we work our way across the northern expanse to Alnow Gap, a narrow saddle between the tables. Day Two takes us through the rimrock and down to the Malheur River. We then wind north through hills that once comprised ocean floor. On Day Three we climb out of the hills and return to Drinkwater Pass.

Back to Top | Peanut Lake | Fivemile Lake | Road Lake Bench | North Pueblo Loop

NORTH PUEBLO LOOP PACK TRIP

Beginning near Fields, Oregon, this hike is a loop trip that swings all the way around the mountains. Short distances will follow the Desert Trail route. In general hikers will use cross-country routes or animal trails. A few sections follow lightly used jeep tracks.

Day One takes us from jeep roads south of Frenchglen to the mountains' crest, which we will follow south to camp in a saddle above the south fork of Willow Creek. On Day Two we continue to follow the crest, picking up the Desert Trail, only to leave it behind as we swing across the western shoulder of the high point. Day Three has us crossing back over the spine of the mountains to visit Van Horn Basin and camp near Ten Cent Meadows. Day Four is a layover day that provides opportunities to explore on your own. Day Five takes us north through through Stergen Meadows to begin our up and down crossing of the eastern drainages. Day Six returns us to our starting point along Sesena Creek.

Back to Top | Peanut Lake | Fivemile Lake | Road Lake Bench | North Pueblo Loop