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Wildhorse Lake Trail - 3 members in 4 triplogs have rated this an average 4.7 ( 1 to 5 best )
4 triplogs
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Jul 29 2023
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 Guides 99
 Routes 1,486
 Photos 16,077
 Triplogs 1,376

male
 Joined Jan 07 2017
 Fountain Hills,
Steens Mountain - Harney County HP, OR 
Steens Mountain - Harney County HP, OR
 
Scenic Drive avatar Jul 29 2023
DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,376
Scenic Drive1.33 Miles 250 AEG
Scenic Drive1.33 Miles      41 Mns   2.05 mph
250 ft AEG
 
no photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Steens Mountain Trails
Wildhorse Lake Trail
Steens Mountain Summit
Partners none no partners
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
This was a near drive-up to Steens Mountain (elevation of 9,733 feet and prominence of 4,373 feet), the highpoint of Harney County in southeastern Oregon. In terms of area, Harney County is the largest county in Oregon and the 10th largest in the continental U.S. Harney County seems very remote and isolated, and as best I can tell there are more hay bales than people.

The drive up to Steens Mountain is about 25 miles on one of the best graded gravel roads that I have ever been on. I left pavement at the town of Frenchglen, the home of $6.60 per gallon gas. The drive was very scenic -- there were lots of wildflowers blooming and there were great views of the surrounding mountains with many pockets of snow still on them.

Once I got near the top I stopped by a viewpoint that had a spot elevation of 9,730 feet, only 3 feet lower than the highpoint. There were great views at this viewpoint, so I was glad that I stopped.

Then I drove a couple of miles further and parked at a closed gate not far below the highpoint, which had some radio towers on it. I walked up the road to the towers, and tagged the highpoint. On the way back I stopped by a rock outcropping that had the benchmark on it, and I also located both reference marks.

When I got back to the parking lot I walked a very short distance on the Wildhorse Lake Trail, which drops a few hundred feet down to Wildhorse Lake, which was visible from the summit. If I had more time I would have hiked down to the lake and back.

Synopsis
This was an enjoyable and very scenic drive, and is worth doing in you happen to be in the area.
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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there
  2 archives
Jul 27 2018
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 Guides 100
 Routes 63
 Photos 2,548
 Triplogs 184

76 male
 Joined Nov 21 2015
 Grand Junction,
Wildhorse Lake TrailSoutheast, OR
Wildhorse Lake Trail
Southeast, OR
Hiking avatar Jul 27 2018
Steph_and_Blake • Triplogs 184
Hiking2.50 Miles 1,011 AEG
Hiking2.50 Miles   1 Hour   45 Mns   1.43 mph
1,011 ft AEG
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
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See Description.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Substantial
_____________________
Stephanie and Blake Barnard
 
Jun 30 2017
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 Guides 9
 Routes 118
 Photos 1,079
 Triplogs 118

35 male
 Joined Mar 06 2016
 Salt River Valle
Wildhorse Lake TrailSoutheast, OR
Wildhorse Lake Trail
Southeast, OR
Hiking avatar Jun 30 2017
arizona_water • Triplogs 118
Hiking3.02 Miles 1,135 AEG
Hiking3.02 Miles
1,135 ft AEG
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
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.

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water 4 out of 5 Wildhorse Lake 76-100% full 76-100% full
the outflow creek was raging
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- there's nothing like finding Water in the Desert -
  2 archives
Aug 25 2011
avatar

 Guides 1
 Routes 1
 Photos 14
 Triplogs 1

38 male
 Joined Jun 08 2011
 Burns, OR
Wildhorse Lake TrailSoutheast, OR
Wildhorse Lake Trail
Southeast, OR
Hiking avatar Aug 25 2011
Supden • Triplogs 1
Hiking2.60 Miles 1,100 AEG
Hiking2.60 Miles   6 Hrs      0.43 mph
1,100 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Did this as a day trip to fly fish for the population of Lahontan cutthroat trout in Wildhorse Lake. The area is other-worldly in terms of beauty. Wildhorse Lake is near the top of Steens Mountain, a huge fault block mountain marked by several glacially carved gorges. The trail is fairly steep all the way but easy to follow. Footing is the main concern here. I had the area all to myself for about an hour and was a little surprised by the traffic; there must have been fifteen or so other people who all hiked in for the day and left before me. All in all a highly recommended scenic hike in one of Oregon's most unique landscapes.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Cutthroat Trout
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average hiking speed 1.74 mph

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.

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