On the
north side of the Wallowa Mountains is Hurricane Creek
A characteristic
of the Wallowas is their abundance of water: creeks, streams,
waterfalls, seeps, soggy meadows, bogs, springs -- and that rarity
anywhere else in Eastern Oregon, genuine year-round rivers with
pure waters and high volumes. So it's not surprising that a challenge
of the area can be creek-fording, especially during the first
half of summer when the snows are still melting out. That river
water is ice cold, and the current is quite strong. A slip and
fall here can not only hurt the body, but could easily destroy
your digital camera or binoculars.
And on
the south end of the Range, welcome to the Eagle Creek area of
the Wallowa Mountains
Arrow
Lake 7827 ft.
The mountain
kingdom of Eagle Creek lies on the opposite side of the mighty
Wallowa range from Hurricane Creek, far from the tourist meccas
of Wallowa Lake State Park, and the bustle and art of Joseph and
Enterprise. The full height of the range is not so apparent from
this side of the massif, but the depth of the wilderness experience
is profound.
Everywhere there was the sound of
water. I was especially struck by the clarity and purity of the
abundant waters, and found the expanses of brillant, coarse granite
gravels along main Eagle Creek to be reminescent of tropical white
sand beaches.
The droppings
of Rocky Mountain Elk were abundant in the fields of paintbrush
and false hellebore near Two Color Guard Station (US Forest Service).
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Page last revised
January 2024