Hiking to Minam River Lodge
The Minam River Lodge is accessible only by foot, horseback, or plane, and in late June 2020, we hiked the 8.5 miles into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to the Lodge.
A pretty easy drive to just above 5000’ elevation, the road from Cove, OR to the trailhead was very well graded, but steep
We were strongly encouraged to start no later than 1:00 to make sure to arrive in time for 6:00 dinner and we were on the trail by 11:30.
Horse Ranch Trail 1908 starts at Moss Springs Trailhead in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Often used by horses, the trailhead parking lot is very big, so there is plenty of space for the horses and trailers. There is also a campground at the parking lot.
The trail immediately enters the Eagle Cap Wilderness and is only accessible starting about mid-June. We saw just a small patch of snow and lots of mud at the top, and it was pretty cold (40-50’s), just a couple days before July 1.
Following a ridge high above the Little Minam River with lots of early summer wildflowers along the hillside, the trail slowly descends to the river over about 4 miles.
There are a number of streams draining into the river, and a couple were pretty wide and a bit deep. There were some logs that made it possible to get across with dry feet. On this first one, I made it across on a log with the help of my poles.
And this one, I took my boots off and waded through some really cold water.
Continuing down a bit more gradually, the trail enters forest with trees draped in moss.
At the half way point, there is a bridge over the Little Minam River, which I was really happy about, because it was a big, rushing river, and I couldn’t quite imaging having to wade through it.
After crossing the river, the trail moves away from it and goes through more forest, for a couple miles.
And then the trees thin out and the trail briefly follows a ridge. There are glimpses of the valley floor below and Red’s Horse Ranch, before the final steep downhill section down to the Minam River Valley.
And then you’re on the valley floor at about 3600’ and it’s pretty flat for the last 1/2 mile to the Lodge.
There were some pretty big puddles with some strategically placed logs.
And then you are there! It took us about 4.5 hours.
The return to the top of the trailhead is a much more strenuous hike, with nearly 2000’ elevation gain, the steepest parts are climbing out of the valley and then the last mile to the top.
We also had a pretty muddy hike out, since it had rained the entire day before, and the horses did not help the trail. It took us 5.5 hours to hike back out.
