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plop down & enjoy a snack by Steph_and_Blake  Overview A moderate hike into a bowl of wildflowers ends at the shores of a clear, pristine lake. Warning Nearly all of the hike to the lake is steep and on unstable ground. It took us longer to descend to the lake than it did to get back up to the trailhead. The Hike From the unsigned trailhead head west down an old Jeep road to the trail register. Sign in and take a left to the rim of Wildhorse Canyon. The trail traverses the canyon wall for a short while before the switchbacks begin. The switchbacks aren’t very steep, but the trail is dusty and/or gravel-laden so the going is slow. To make up for the tedium of the watching every step, there are an endless number of wildflowers to behold. You might not look up much to see the glistening lake, but you’ll surely stop numerous times to admire the gently swaying sea of reds, blues, pinks, yellows, and whites. About three-quarters of the way to the lake a couple of small, babbling streams parallel the trail. Here the wildflowers become more varied and abundant. Eventually the trail levels out and within 100 yards you’ll come to the shores of the lake. Plop down, enjoy a snack, and regret not having brought your fishing gear. 0.00072 Return the way you came. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Review
Wildhorse Lake Trail
Nostalgia.
I met my friend, Jared, at his sister's house in Sisters, Oregon. (That's always a fun one to explain!)
We left early the next morning for Steens Mountain Wilderness. This is a special place in southeastern Oregon, on the NV border, that we had both been to before. In high school, our cross country team came out to Steens Mountain for a week long training camp. For Oregon, it's "high elevation" with a summit elevation of 9,738ft. At the time, running 20-30 miles/day off trail at elevation was challenging and fun. Jared and I wanted to go back to the Steens area and explore some of our favorite places.
We setup camp in the afternoon and then made our way to the Wildhorse Lake Trail, which starts at the true summit of the mountain. We enjoyed the amazing weather and cool glacier views on the descent down to Wildhorse Basin. As the shadows lengthened, the lighting over the lake grew worse, preventing me from capturing the lake the way I had remembered it nine years prior.
The trail down to the lake is steep up top. This year's high snow volume had left much of the upper trail covered in ice, or just slippery from runoff. Eventually, the trail leveled out a bit, and we crossed one more snow field.
There are some amazing views of the Alvord Desert on the descent to the lake.
This are was settled by Basque immigrants. They said it reminded them of the Pyrenees Mountains. I can see the resemblance.
I met my friend, Jared, at his sister's house in Sisters, Oregon. (That's always a fun one to explain!)
We left early the next morning for Steens Mountain Wilderness. This is a special place in southeastern Oregon, on the NV border, that we had both been to before. In high school, our cross country team came out to Steens Mountain for a week long training camp. For Oregon, it's "high elevation" with a summit elevation of 9,738ft. At the time, running 20-30 miles/day off trail at elevation was challenging and fun. Jared and I wanted to go back to the Steens area and explore some of our favorite places.
We setup camp in the afternoon and then made our way to the Wildhorse Lake Trail, which starts at the true summit of the mountain. We enjoyed the amazing weather and cool glacier views on the descent down to Wildhorse Basin. As the shadows lengthened, the lighting over the lake grew worse, preventing me from capturing the lake the way I had remembered it nine years prior.
The trail down to the lake is steep up top. This year's high snow volume had left much of the upper trail covered in ice, or just slippery from runoff. Eventually, the trail leveled out a bit, and we crossed one more snow field.
There are some amazing views of the Alvord Desert on the descent to the lake.
This are was settled by Basque immigrants. They said it reminded them of the Pyrenees Mountains. I can see the resemblance.
2017-06-30 arizona_water
