I’ve long wanted to hike in the Wallowa Mountains and Eagle Cap Wilderness. I’d heard plenty of praise from other hikers about this 40-mile-long mountain range, sometimes referred to as the “Alps of Oregon.” But picking a route wasn’t as simple as starting at one terminus and thru-hiking to the other. This 361,446-acre area in eastern Oregon is covered with a vast network of 530+ trails.

With so much to see, I set about finding the best 40-50 miles that I could fit into my August schedule. My priorities when building this 4-day itinerary included:

Starting/Ending at the same trailhead: There are more than a dozen trailheads where visitors can enter the Wallowa Mountains. The most popular ones are located in the north due to their proximity to towns such as Joseph, Enterprise, and Lostine. If you are hiking with a partner or group, you can expand the area you visit by parking a car at multiple trailheads. However, I was heading out on this adventure solo, so I wanted to pick a trailhead where multiple trails converged, allowing for a loop instead of an out-and-back route. The winning trailhead for me was the Wallowa Lake trailhead.

Visit the Lakes Basin. One of the most popular areas to visit in the Eagle Cap Wilderness is the Lakes Basin, where nine picturesque lakes reflect views of the granite mountains and provide some of the most breathtaking camping spots in the Wallowas. While I wasn’t 100% sure that I wanted to camp in this popular area, I knew I definitely wanted to hike through it, and any route I took needed to include either the Lakes Basin Trail (#1810) or the Moccasin Trail (#1810A)

See some mountain goats. Who doesn’t want to see some cute stocky mountain goats, renowned for their ability to climb rocky alpine peaks? Maximizing my chance of seeing them in the Wallowas means planning a visit to either Ice Lake or Glacier Lake. Visits to Ice Lake require an 8-mile out-and-back detour off the West Fork Wallowa Trail (#1820), whereas Glacier Lake can be easily incorporated into a loop using the Glacier Trail (#1806) between Frazier Lake and Moccasin Lake. So, I went ahead and opted for an overnight stay at Glacier Lake.

Bag a high point. In an effort to see as much of the state of Oregon as possible, I’m trying to summit the highest peak in each of the state’s 36 counties. Three of these mountains are located in the Wallowas, including Sacajawea Peak (high point of Wallowa Co.), Eagle Cap (high point of Union Co.), and Red Mountain (high point of Baker Co.). Of these mountains, Eagle Cap (9,577′ elevation) was the one that fit into my itinerary best, thanks to its proximity to the Lakes Basin.

Cherish the views. In addition to summiting a mountain, I really wanted to take in the sweeping panoramic views of the Wallowas by crossing over at least one high mountain pass. The highest pass in these mountains is Polaris Pass at 8,890′ elevation. On one side of the pass, hikers are treated to the green views on the north side of the Imnaha Divide, while the other side provides views of gray granite peaks stretching from Crag Mountain to Eagle Cap.

See Wallowa Lake. Another perk of visiting the Wallowas was the opportunity to see Wallowa Lake for the first time. This popular glacial lake is near the charming town of Joseph, OR. It was one more reason I opted for the Wallowa Lake Trailhead, which allowed me to visit this clear lake at the beginning and end of my trek.

My Wallowa Itinerary

With these priorities in mind, I opted to hike a 42-mile loop route that is very similar to the Wallowa River Trail Loop. The biggest difference between that loop and mine is that I incorporated an ascent (and descent) of Eagle Cap into my route.

This 42-mile loop can be split up in a multitude of ways based on the number of days you have available to hike, your daily mileage comfort, and how far you are driving to get to the Wallowas. With this in mind, I opted for a 4-day trek outlined below:

Day	Start	End	Distance	Trails Taken
1a	Eugene, OR	Wallowa Lake TH	445 miles (driving)
1b	Wallowa Lake TH	Aneroid Lake	6.7 miles	East Fork Wallowa River Trail (#1804)
2	Aneroid Lake	Glacier Lake	13.7 miles	East Fork Wallowa River Trail (#1804) Polaris Trail (#1831) West Fork Wallowa River Trail (#1820) Glacier Lake Trail (#1806)
3	Glacier Lake	Six Mile Meadow	15.5 miles	Glacier Lake Trail (#1806) East Eagle Trail (#1805) Eagle Cap Summit Trail (#1910) Moccasin Trail (#1810A) Lake Basin Trail (#1810)
4a	Six Mile Meadow	Wallowa Lake TH	6.4 miles	Lake Basin Trail (#1810) West Fort Wallowa River Trail (#1820)
4b	Wallowa Lake TH	Eugene, OR	445 miles (driving)

Why four days?

Although this is a four-day itinerary, I chose to look at this backpacking trip as two “full days” and two “half days.” This meant I didn’t have to worry about paying for extra lodging on either end of my drive out to the Wallowas.

I set out from my home in Western Oregon in the morning of Day 1 and, after a very long drive, I arrived at the Wallowa Lake trailhead just before 5 pm. Since it was mid-August, there was still plenty of daylight to hike up to Aneroid Lake, 6.7 miles up the trail.

• Highlights of Day 1: Wallowa Lake, East Fork Wallowa River, Aneroid Lake
• Highlights of Day 2: Tenderfoot Pass, Polaris Pass, Glacier Lake, and mountain goats
• Highlights of Day 3: Glacier Pass, Eagle Cap, Lakes Basin (Mirror Lake, Moccasin Lake, Horseshoe Lake)
• Highlights of Day 4: Six Mile Meadow, West Fork Wallowa River

I also adjusted my schedule for the third and fourth days while I was on the loop. I originally planned to camp at Horseshoe Lake at the end of Day 3. This is the last lake on the edge of the Lakes Basin before the 3-mile descent to the West Fork of the Wallowa River. If I’d followed my original plan, I would have only hiked 12.5 miles on day 3 and then had 9.4 miles to the trailhead on day 4. However, I was feeling strong and decided to press on to Six Mile Meadow to shorten my final day before getting in the car for the long drive home.

Pros of this itinerary

Lakefront campsites. There is no shortage of lakes to camp near throughout the Wallowas. Furthermore, the most established campsites in the Eagle Cap Wilderness are often situated near the lakes. This allows hikers to follow Leave No Trace principles by camping on beautiful existing lakefront sites. Don’t worry about the lakes being crowded either. The lakes in the Wallowas were relatively quiet compared to the Cascade Mountains or the Three Sisters Wilderness.

Polaris Pass. The biggest pass that hikers ascend on this route is Polaris Pass at 8,890′ elevation. If you hike this loop clockwise (like I did), the climb up to the pass is fairly moderate, and you reach it early on Day 2 of this itinerary. The 3-mile descent down from Polaris Pass is initially dominated by lots of scree and rocks, followed by dozens of long switchbacks. Hiking this loop in the opposite direction is a significantly more challenging endeavor, which is why I opted to go clockwise.

Glacier Lake & Glacier Pass. My favorite spot on this entire loop was Glacier Lake. This lake is 20.4 miles from the Wallowa Lake Trailhead, with a significant amount of elevation gain and loss en route, so I knew I wouldn’t reach it until the end of Day 2. But once I arrived, I was so grateful that I made this my evening stop instead of continuing over Glacier Pass and onto the more popular Mirror Lake. The scenery directly below Glacier Peak is staggeringly beautiful. The mountain goats wandering around in the evening and early morning hours only add to the magic. Plus, the exquisite apenglow on Glacier Peak the following morning made for an unforgettable stay.

Summiting Eagle Cap. While the views of Eagle Cap are fantastic from below, the true highlight of this loop for me was my morning trek up to the summit of this peak. I found a nice spot to set up my tent at the edge of Mirror Lake around 7:30 am, immediately before ascending Eagle Cap. This allowed me to store most of my gear before hiking up to 9,577′ with a nearly empty pack. My early start also meant I beat the crowds to the summit. I didn’t see a soul during my ascent, but I passed at least two dozen hikers who were heading uphill during my mid-morning descent.

No heavy food carries. Thanks to the short days on both the front and back ends of this hike, I only needed to bring two days’ worth of food and some snacks. I didn’t begin my hike until around 5 pm on Day 1, which meant I didn’t have to carry a meal into the backcountry for this first evening. The same was true for the final day of this hike. I was able to get my typical early start near 6:30 am on Day 4, and arrived back at the trailhead in time for a large hot breakfast in Joseph. All told, I only needed to pack for six meals (two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners, plus some snacks) using this itinerary.

Final ThoughTs

Hikers who wish to follow this same itinerary have a few extra perks available to them, thanks to the Wallowa Lake Trailhead

Free Parking. Many of the other trailheads for the Wallowas and Eagle Cap Wilderness charge a parking fee of $5 per day. The Northwest Forest Pass and America the Beautiful Pass are accepted in lieu of payment, provided the pass is displayed during the entire visit. Meanwhile, there is no fee to park at the Wallowa Lake Trailhead, and you don’t need to drive down any dirt roads to access this trailhead, as the entire route is paved.

Showers at Wallowa Lake SP. If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to hop in the car and drive nearly 450 miles back home smelling like you just finished a long hike. Luckily, hikers who use the Wallowa Lake trailhead will find themselves only one mile from Wallowa Lake State Park, which has a large full-service campground. Non-campers are permitted to shower at the campground for a $5 fee.

Joseph. Northeast Oregon isn’t a very populated corner of the state. However, there are a few little towns, including the charming vacation town of Joseph, Oregon, located 7 miles from the Wallowa Lake trailhead. The town has several small restaurants and places to stay, but one of the highlights for me was learning about its famous namesake, Chief Joseph (1840-1904), leader of the Wal-lum-wat-kin (Wallowa) band of the Nez Perce tribe.