Day 19: Touring Wallowa Mountains

July 8, 2006

Today the camping gear will stay at Wallowa Lake State Park. I got up at 8 AM and went to the tramway station to find out that they open at 10 AM. Then I rode down the shore of the lake to get a view in the morning sun.

Wallowa Lake reminds me of Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons.

Then back to the campsite for breakfast and a long conversation with the Israeli family that shared the hiker/bike campsite (they arrived in a van without a campsite reservation and were allowed to camp in the hiker/biker campsite if they park their van outside the park boundary). It was fun to watch Elk browse through the campground. Very fuzzy antlers this time of year.

Elk munching its way through my campsite.

At 10 AM I rode a mile to the tramway station and bought a $20 ticket. The tramway has great views taking me 4000 feet up the mountain. I walked all the designated trails near the tramway station, only a mile or two. There were GREAT views of the big mountains to the west - the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Chipmunks were extremely aggressive because several places sell bags of seed for people to feed the chipmunks. They associate humans with food.

Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa mountains.

Keeping an eye on the extremely aggressive chipmunks.

Some of the trails from the tramway station are above treeline.

The summit has only a partial view of Wallowa lake but a good view of the Wallowa river valley and the towns of Joseph and Enterprise.

Wallowa Lake and the town of Joseph 4000 feet below. The "dam" is a glacial moraine.

I ate an early lunch at the "Alpine Patio" restaurant at the tramway station. Dining with a great view. The bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad were great.

Then I rode the tramway back down to Wallowa Lake. It was much warmer at the lake than at the summit. Probably 70F at the summit and 85F at the lake. I did laundry and hung it to dry, then walked to the beach area to look around.

Then back to the campsite to grab the bike. I rode 2 miles uphill to the main trailhead. I hiked up the Chief Joseph trail following the West fork of the Wallowa river. The river is extremely fast and frothy. White everywhere. Onward to "BC Falls". It's not exactly free-falling water, but the creek does appear to drop vertically about as much as it flows horizontally.

The trail bridge washed out last winter, so I crossed BC creek on this board.

The fast and furious west fork of the Wallowa River.

Then back to the trailhead and down the hill to the campsite. Laziness prevailed and I ordered a pizza from a place just outside the park. I had a relaxing evening and fell asleep before dark.

Wallowa Lake State Park and the surrounding area is very beautiful, but crowded with tourists and overdeveloped with tourist attractions (pony rides, go-karts, mini golf, etc.). It was the only place I camped on this tour where I would need a reservation if I arrived by car.

Distance: 7.6 mi. (12.2 km)

Climbing: 340 ft. climb (103 m)

Average Speed: 9.9 mph ave. (15.8 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 29.7 mph max. (47.5 km/h)

Hiking: 6 mi. (9.6 km)

Today's ride: 8 miles (13 km)
Total: 790 miles (1,271 km)

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