JOSEPH, Oregon — I set out on my weekend determined to find a smoke free zone with much of Idaho on fire. So that ruled out the Sawtooths, McCall and anywhere around the Treasure Valley.
I headed west into Oregon and run into smoke as far as La Grande, but as I wheeled around the Wallowa Mountains it began to clear and by the time I made the four hour drive to Joseph it felt good to breathe the clean air.
This area is home to the Eagle Cap Wilderness which features 535 miles of trails in more than 350,000 acres of wilderness with many different access points. It's easy to see why this is a bucket list destination for backpackers and horseback riders.
The Eagle Cap Wilderness features high alpine lakes, meadows carved by glaciers and bare granite peaks with the highest being Sacajawea at 9,838 feet. This area is often referred to as the Alps of Oregon.
Joseph is a small charming mountain town and just beyond that is Wallowa Lake a popular tourist destination that reminded me of Red Fish Lake.
I camped at the State Park and the Wallowa Lake Trailhead is one of the best places to start your adventure where you will see waterfalls, vistas and I found it interesting how the character of the landscape changed as I climbed in elevation.
However, this area also features so much more including the lake. For those that don't enjoy hiking the Wallowa Lake Tramway gains 3,700 feet of elevation as people can ride to the top of Mount Howard. Once on the summit there are easy hiking trails, views and the Summit Grill that will be open until the end of September.
This was my first trip to the Wallowas, but it won't be my last as I instantly fell in love with the area with its clear crisp water, stunning peaks like Eagle Cap and I also successfully evaded that smoke here in Idaho.
