Welcome to Eagle Cap Wilderness Online! Backpacking, Hiking, Fishing and Hunting information resources

Winter months bring heavy snowfall to the Eagle Cap Wilderness area, causing many of the trails in the wilderness to be blocked with snowbanks through June and early July. For backcountry skiing opportunities, contact the Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center (541-426-5596) or an Outfitter Guide.

The summer and fall season typically begins at the end of June on the lower elevation trails and runs to the end of November. High elevation trails are usually snow free from mid-July though September. Visitors should plan to check with the Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center to be sure your route of travel is accessible. Always come prepared with an ax and shovel for unexpected trail damage or down trees.

The Eagle Cap Wilderness is the most heavily used wilderness in northeast Oregon, with the Lakes Basin Management Area the most popular. With the large size of the wilderness and the extensive trail system visitors should find many opportunities for solitude. Solitude is an important part of a wilderness adventure. To assure yourself of this atmosphere avoid holidays, travel on a weekday, in early spring or after Labor Day, and visit areas other than the Lakes Basin. Listed below are trails of high use which visitors may want to avoid during the peak season:

Lostine Canyon Campgrounds (or other Recreation Sites) Water is available at the Guard Station
Name	Maintained	Potable Water	Fees	# Units	Notes
Shady Campground *	06/24/2010	No	$6.00	14 tent/trailer	Hiking, Fishing
Williamson Campground*	06/01/2010	No	$6.00	9 tent/trailer
Canyon Campground*	06/01/2010	No	No	2 tent/trailer
Walla-Walla Campground*	06/01/2010	No	$6.00	4 tent/trailer
Irondyke Campground*	06/01/2010	No	$6.00	6 tent/trailer
Turkey Flat Campground*	06/01/2010	No	$6.00	4 tent/trailer
Arrow Campground*	No	No	$6.00	3 tent/trailer
Picnic Areas	Maintained	Potable Water	Fees	# Units	Notes
French Camp Picnic Area	06/01/2010	No	None
Pole Bridge Picnic Area	06/01/2010	No	None

Other Campgrounds
Boundary Campground*	06/01/2010	No	None	8 tent/trailer
Hurricane Campground*	06/01/2010	No	$6.00	12 tent/trailer	Camp sites 5, 8, 10 are accessible

Note: Please pack your own garbage out and clean up fire ring when leaving self-service and no service campgrounds and picnic areas.
Dumping stations in Wallowa and Enterprise.

TRAILHEADS

Name	Recreation Pass Site	Self-Service Pay Site	Restroom	On-Site Camping	Unloading Ramp	Hitchrail(s)	Feedbunk(s)	Stock Water
McCully	x	x	x		x	x
Wallowa Lake					x	x
Hurricane	x	x	x		x	x		x
Bowman/Francis	x	x	x		x	x		x
Maxwell	x	x	x	x	x	x
Two-Pan	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Bear Creek	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Huckleberry					x
Cougar Ridge					x
Bear Wallow			x	x	x			x

TRAILS - Be aware that there are constantly changing conditions due to weather.

Name	Trail #	Maintained	Restrictions	Conditions
Bear Creek	1653	06/16/2010		Maintained to Bear Creek Cabin (5 miles)
Bear Lake	1921A	No
Bear Minam	1655	No
Bench Canyon	1937	No
Big Sheep Ridge	1685	Yes - 06/16/2010		Cleared from Wilderness boundary to junction of trail #1672
Billy Jones	1824	No
Blue Creek	1865	No
Blue Lake	1673A	No
Boner Flat	1801	No		Closed -. Non-existant trail
Bonny Lakes	1802	No
Bowman	1651	Yes - 06/22/2010		Cleared for 1.5 miles
Cartwheel Ridge	1907	No
Chief Joseph	1803	No		Closed - Bridge Out
Chimney/Wood	1659	No
China Ridge	1906	No		07/07/2010: Hard, deep snow near China Cap. Lots of mud. Not recommended for stock.
Cliff River	1885	No
Cliff Spur	1885A	No
Copper Creek	1656	No
Cougar Ridge	1668	No
Crib Point	1909	No
Division Camp	1649	No
Art Garret	1913	No
Dobbin Creek	1654	No
Eagle Cap Summit	1805	No
Eagle Lake	1931	No		Trail overgrown. Sign down. Trail difficult to locate
East Eagle	1910	No
E. Fork Lostine	1662	No		07/01/2010: Bridge out 1 1/2 mile from TH - Necessary to ford. About 100" up the stream there is a log across which is crossable. Two pan TH to Meadows Bridge section: snow drifts begin at 6000', heavy on the switchback corners. Trail open to hikers but NO stock. Trail becomes very faint due to snow at about 6500'. Some open areas once meadow is reached for camping but snow covers trail after the bridge in the meadow.
E. Fork Wallowa	1804	No
Elk Creek	1944	No		07/07/2010 Snow approximately 1/2 mile in.
Elkhorn	1688	No
Fake Creek	1914	No
Frances Lake	1663	Yes - 06/22/2010		Cleared 2 miles then snow
Frazier Pass	1947	No
Glacier Lake	1806	No
Goat Creek	1665	No		06/11/2010: Huckleberry Trailhead not accessible due to flood conditions.
Granite	1676	No
Green Lake	1666	No
Hidden Lake	1915	No
High Wallowa Mt. Howard Loop	1813	No
Horse Ranch	1908	06/10/2010
Horseshoe Lake	1821	No
Huckleberry Mtn.	1667	No		06/11/2010: Huckleberry Trailhead not accessible due to flood conditions.
Hunter Falls	1829	No
Hurricane	1807	No		06/11/2010: Snow covers trail approximately 4.5 miles in.
Ice Lake	1808	No
Ivan Carper	1661	No
Jim White	1918	No
Lackeys Hole	1942	No
Lakes Basin	1810	No
Legore	1753	No
Lick Creek	1809	No		07/01/2010: TH to wilderness boundary is in good condition. Boundary to top of saddle is passable. No snow. Some logs down which a horse can get over easily.
Little Kettle Creek	1945	No
Little Minam	1901	No
Little Pot	1919	No		Trail Abandoned permanently.
Lodgepole	1920	No
Long Lake	1669	No
Lookingglass	1921	No
Main Eagle Trail	1922	No		07/07/2010: Two miles in there are a series of serious washouts. Lots of snow around Arrow Lake. At the 7400' level, deep snow closed the trail to hikers.
Maxwell Lake	1674	06/22/2010		From Trailhead to 2.5 miles
McCully Creek	1812	No
Minam River	1673	No
Miners Basin	1671	No
Moccasin	1810A	No
Mule Peak	1924	No
Murphy Creek	1672	No
N. Catherine	1905	No		06/11/2010: Trail inaccessible from N Fork Catherine Ck Trailhead due to flood damage causing closed access road. 06/11/2010: Snow in meadows.
N. Fork Imnaha	1814	No		Many downed trees.
North Minam Mdw	1675	No
Norway	1896	No
Pine Lake	1880	No
Polaris	1831	No		Trail is undefined in places
Rock Springs	1928	No		06/11/2010: Trailhead accessible.
Sand Pass	1912	No		07/07/2010: some small drifts.
S. Fork Imnaha	1816	06/27/2010		From trailhead to Deadman Trail passable for stock and hikers. There are spots where the creek is going down the trail but it is in good condition otherwise.
Squaw Creek	1951	No		06/11/2010: Trail inaccessible from N Fork Catherine Ck Trailhead due to flood damage causing closed access road.
Standley Ridge	1677	06/28/2010		From Bear Wallow TH to Wilderness Boundary
Storm Lake	1689	No
Sugarloaf	1887	No
Sullivan	1946	No
Tenderfoot Wagon Rd.	1819	No		Maintained 3 miles from TH
Tombstone Lake	1943	No		Open to Elk Creek Junction
Twin Lakes	1874	No
Washboard	1680	No
West Eagle	1934	No		Wonker Pass is washed out, not suitable for stock. 06/11/2010: Trailhead inaccessible due to deep snow covering access road.
W. Fork Lostine	1670	No		06/22/2010: Cleared to Copper Creek junction trail #1659
W. Fork Wallowa	1820	No		07/01/2010: Maintained to 5.5 miles. A little mucky and muddy in spots.
Wing Ridge	1828	No

Note: Please, do not park in front of stock facilities. Use picket line, stakes, or hobbles. Pack pellets instead of hay. Wait until you get home to clean out your trailer.

WILDERNESS INFORMATION: The Eagle Cap Wilderness has a visitor permit system. Permits are free, unlimited, and self-issued at the trailheads as visitors begin their wilderness trip. The permits and deposit boxes are located adjacent to the information boards found at each trailhead. The permits are required of all visitors so that the most accurate information possible can be obtained. The information collected will be used to measure the amount and location of visitor use. Please do not confuse the visitor permit system with the Recreation Pass system!

Special Note: Party size limit in the Eagle Cap Wilderness - 12 persons. Overnight party size limit in Lakes Basin Area - 6 people.

Check trailhead bulletin boards for current regulations and special announcements. Visitors are encouraged to stop in at any Forest Service Office.

Maintenance:

Most trails have not been cleared due to the winter's accumulation of snow. Weather can change the condition of the wilderness trails within a few hours so be prepared for unforeseen obstacles in the trails. Always check trailhead bulletin boards for information we may have available for you.

At any time, Wilderness Trail users may expect:

· Downed trees and or obstacles

· Washouts, slides and other winter damage,

· Rocks, limbs and other rough tread conditions.

Recreation Passes:

A National Forest Recreation Pass (Northwest Forest Pass) is required on vehicles parked at or near all major trailheads serving the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Passes cost $5 per day or $30 for an annual pass (good for one year from month of purchase). Senior and Access Passes and the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass are also honored (in place of Recreation Passes) at the same locations.

The passes are available for sale at the local Ranger District Offices and at any Forest Service office in Oregon and Washington.
Recreation Pass self-service pay stations are also available at most fee trailheads.

Information about cabin rentals on the Forest can be found on the "Activity Finder" portion of our website:

Weather - There is no way to determine what the weather will be like - always be prepared for all types of weather. Check specific NOAA weather reports.

General road conditions - Verify current road conditions in this area with ODOT.

Hunting seasons - Verify season dates at ODFW. Use caution and wear bright colors.

Fire danger - Read more about current conditions in the forest on our Current Conditions web page.

Call the Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center for current conditions 541-426-5546.

• Be advised that there are no services, clean up or safety inspections provided during the off season.

• Users will need to bring their own water, toilet paper and other supplies and are responsible for cleaning up after themselves and hauling away any trash or other waste they generate. PACK IT IN – PACK IT OUT!!!!