Wallowa Valley, Rattlesnake Grade

In the far northeast corner of Oregon lies the Wallowa Valley.  

This valley is the ancestral home of Chief Joseph's band of the Nez Perce Native Americans.  In the eastern part of this valley is the town of Joseph and Wallowa Lake.   This valley is absolutely beautiful.  It is no wonder that the Nez Perce did not want to leave their wonderful home.

The Nez Perce were protected in this valley by multiple geographic features which make access to this area very difficult.  It is still a difficult area to reach today.

The Eagle Cap Wilderness area is a mountain range of snow-capped mountains running east and west creating an imposing barrier to the south.  To the west is Hell's Canyon.   To the north of the Wallowa Valley is the Grand Rhonde River valley.   This area is highly protected by nature!

Today, there are three paved routes into and out of the Wallow Valley.  

The most common route is to travel north out of La Grande, Oregon on state highway 82 and follow the Wallowa River upstream to the Wallowa Valley.

An alternative way is to access the area via Hell's Canyon.  From Copperfield, Oregon near Oxbow Dam, take state highway 86 to the west.   In a few miles, turn right onto North Pine Creek.  This road will evantually take you to Joseph, Oregon.  It is tight and twisty at some points with some corners marked with a 10 mph speed limit.  Believe them!  There are some amazing canyon overlooks on this drive.

 The third route is state highway 3 going north out of Enterprise, Oregon.   This road winds over the Blue Mountains, drops down and crosses the Grand Rhonde River and goes back up high onto the steppes above Clarkston, Washington.  This later section of road is called Rattlesnake Grade.  There are some amazing canyon overlooks of Joseph Canyon on this drive.

At the south end of Wallowa Lake lies Wallowa Lake State Park.  This park is highly popular because the region is so beautiful, and the park is so nicely maintained.  The park has camping, yurts, picnicking, and a marina where you can rent boats.  It is a fun place to snowshoe in the winter.

Just outside of the park is a small recreational area with various attractions including a tram ride to the top of the Eagle Cap (open sporadically), guided horse rides in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, and go-carts.

A very cold January day in Enterprise, Oregon (-10F)

I have ridden motorcycles most of my adulthood having ridden over 150,000 miles over the course of the years on a bike.  The road between Enterprise, Oregon and Clarkston, Washington is probably my favorite ride of all time.

I have seen much wildlife on this section.    In addition to these photos, I have seen a black bear at the top of Rattlesnake Grade on the Washington side and a rattlesnake on the Oregon side.

Mule deer and white tail deer have overlapping population ranges in many parts of Idaho and this corner of Washington and Oregon.  The vast majority of deer in the Boise Valley are mule deer, but I have seen white tail deer on two occasions right by Barber Bridge in Boise.  There has been a major shift in their home range distribution in Idaho over the past 50 years.

I will strive to add photos of Rattlesnake Grade soon.