This was a fairly brief campout of two nights in the easternmost valley of the Eagle Cap. I had originally planned a more elaborate trip from Cornucopia, but arriving at midday with the trailhead temperatures already at 90 degrees prompted me to wimp out for the softer option since I had not thought ahead to reserve llamas.
The McCully Trailhead has changed a few times over the years because of fires and the lower half of the hike is not very prepossessing, mostly dry formerly diseased forest dominated by Engelmann spruce with much blowdown. The path is well-maintained up to the McCully Creek ford, however, even though it sees little use by hikers (It’s not one of the Big 5 Wallowa destinations – no lakes!). A few hunters come in here in the fall and then in winter it’s telemark skiers. I had the entire valley to myself for three days.
After the ford, there are a few blowdowns, nothing major, up to the McCully/Big Sheep pass. The McCully Basin itself is a large cirque with several major meadows, most on the west side of the trail. The only meadow you can see, soon after making the ford, has the only established campsite in the basin, used by hunters with pack horses every fall. Otherwise, you have to go off-trail to discover the hidden gems – extolled by Sullivan in his book Oregon Favorites: Trails and Tales.
I camped at the first meadow to the west near a running creek and with some of McCully’s 100 or so elk peeking out of the trees. They wouldn’t expose themselves, however, probably sensing that the fall hunt is upon them, and spent the evening snorting and crashing about in the woods bemoaning my presence. The deer were not so shy and one walked right through my camp.
There was much thunder and lightning the first night but just a slight dampening to show for it, and the next morning, I set about a day’s exploration of the high ridges. My first goal was Mt. Melissa, on the east side of the valley. I hiked up to the McCully/Big Sheep pass, the trail here maintained by elk (and they don’t cut switchbacks!) and got a view into the beautiful Big Sheep Basin. Scrambling up from there over Peak 9020 on Wing Ridge, I noticed a goat behind me. Using my best goat-whispering skills, we arrived at an arrangement since we were headed for the same lovely saddle meadow. Billy would take the low road, and I, as the interloper in his territory would risk life and limb on the rotten rock and avalanche chutes of 9020. We checked each other out from time to time, but I pipped Billy to the saddle by about a 100 yards; this was because, in his supreme arrogance, he stopped to EAT 17 times – in such a fashion are important races lost.
I noted several other goats along the ridges, but continued up the rather gentle south ridge of Melissa (Peak 9,128 on maps). The summit register contained an interesting variety of artifacts and garbage: a plastic knight on a horse (no doubt left by the Mountaineer Knights of Eastern Oregon College, who established the register), a couple of tubes of lip ice (probably used up), candy wrappers, Fred Barstad’s business card, etc. It gets climbed by 2 - 5 people a year (I was the 4th this year to sign the register). Views were hazy to the east because of fires, but I could see across the incised valleys of the Little Sheep, Big Sheep, Grouse Creek and Snake River to the Seven Devils. Looking south and west, almost all the high Wallowa peaks were visible.
I scrambled down into the basin, crossing a meadow with numerous springs, and made lunch at camp. In the afternoon, I decided to hit the Aneroid Ridge and headed across the Basin past a large meadow and then up a series of pretty granite benches alive with ground squirrels. The north slope of Aneroid is carpeted with mats of Arctic willow, half a centimeter high and already turning yellow. From the top, the views were all-encompassing. Here, I also reacquainted myself with Ailene Aneroid (christened by me), a whitebark pine and the highest tree in Oregon at about 9,700 feet (Actually, there were two other pines, Erin and Alicia, at about the same height, but I determined Ailene had them by a millimeter or two; anyway, she is a LOT older than she looks).
I made my way north along Aneroid’s ridge and topped both Hidden Peak (9,460’) and East Peak (9,380’), still getting expansive vistas under some cloud cover. I dropped down East Peak’s east ridge and took elk trails across high parklands back towards the Basin. Near Hidden Peak's east shoulder, I unexpectedly hit a human-made trail, something that clearly had design and purpose and which was going in my direction. There were no sawn-off logs, so I’m going to surmise that was one of the old sheep trails, possibly coming straight from Joseph to access the high meadows.
Aside: The Eagle Cap was not so pristine in former years as it seems now. In 1900, Wallowa County counted 300,000 sheep and most of these, as well as some cattle, were grazed in the high country in summer and fall. Land degradation was severe as the herd in some places exceeded the carrying capacity by as much as ten-fold. After World War II, the popularization of synthetic fabrics and more regulation by the Forest Service dealt blows to the wool industry, but sheep are still grazed in the Eagle Cap around Mt. Nebo. McCully Creek is named after a sheep rancher.
I crossed sagebrush meadows and parklands of whitebark pine before this trail, never indistinct, dropped me into the westernmost of McCully’s meadows and thence I found my way back to camp.
McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
I day hiked up to McCully Basin on August 10th of this year, seeing only one other hiker near the trailhead, who was hiking out, and none further up the trail. Unfortunately for me, the smoke haze was extremely thick that day, blowing in over Big Sheep Pass and obscuring all the views into vague gray shapes. I intended to write up a trail report some time or other, because McCully is little visited and there had been no TRs yet on PHikers. Now I don't have to! Excellent trip report!
The first 5 miles or so, up to the creek crossing where you reach the basin itself, are in some pretty sad forest with a lot of dead or disease-damaged trees intermingled with the living trees, and a lot of downed wood on the forest floor. The basin seemed much nicer and less damaged, and your pics show how lovely the upper reaches and surrounding peaks are. I'll have to go back there now with a backpack instead of a day pack, so I can explore it better.
I would only add that the side road up to the trailhead is not signed at the junction with Road 3920 in any way. The road to the TH is approx 3/4 mile beyond the turn off to the ski park (which is well marked) and ascends to the right at a 'Y'. Road 3920 descends to the left and quickly crosses McCully Creek. So, if your vehicle crosses McCully Creek, turn back and take the next left turn at that 'Y'.
The first 5 miles or so, up to the creek crossing where you reach the basin itself, are in some pretty sad forest with a lot of dead or disease-damaged trees intermingled with the living trees, and a lot of downed wood on the forest floor. The basin seemed much nicer and less damaged, and your pics show how lovely the upper reaches and surrounding peaks are. I'll have to go back there now with a backpack instead of a day pack, so I can explore it better.
I would only add that the side road up to the trailhead is not signed at the junction with Road 3920 in any way. The road to the TH is approx 3/4 mile beyond the turn off to the ski park (which is well marked) and ascends to the right at a 'Y'. Road 3920 descends to the left and quickly crosses McCully Creek. So, if your vehicle crosses McCully Creek, turn back and take the next left turn at that 'Y'.
Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Thank you for posting this trip report! I always enjoy your writing and playful anthropomorphisms.
Rambling on at Allison Outside
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Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Great report! I've seen the McCully Basin hike in Sullivan's book and thought that I'd like to do it sometime. Definitely looks worth the effort!
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Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Thank you for the wonderful report and photos! And so McCully Basin finds its way onto the never-ending Eagle Cap destination list...
Greg
Greg
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Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Thanks, John! I really like that eastern slope of the Wallowas -- that whole series of broad valleys reminds me a lot of the Colorado Rockies, except with a lot less people wandering about! My only beef is that the sheep allotments tend to keep the wildflowers trimmed back by late summer (noticed this in the upper Imnaha reaches). Really pretty country!
Tom
Tom
Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Now that was fun, thanks Bobcat!
Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
@all: Thanks. McCully is a shorter backpack destination than most of the others. From there, you can day hike off-trail and then also on-trail into the Big Sheep.
@Splintercat: The only sheep allotment that remains in the Eagle Cap is at Nebo. There are also cattle allotments along the southern fringe of the wilderness. The meadows have recovered quite well in 70 years, but the climate is changing, so they are being swallowed up by trees. There is some discussion that sheep kept this process at bay.
@Splintercat: The only sheep allotment that remains in the Eagle Cap is at Nebo. There are also cattle allotments along the southern fringe of the wilderness. The meadows have recovered quite well in 70 years, but the climate is changing, so they are being swallowed up by trees. There is some discussion that sheep kept this process at bay.
- Splintercat
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Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Good to know, John... and ironic on that last part..!The only sheep allotment that remains in the Eagle Cap is at Nebo. There are also cattle allotments along the southern fringe of the wilderness. The meadows have recovered quite well in 70 years, but the climate is changing, so they are being swallowed up by trees. There is some discussion that sheep kept this process at bay.
- Mariposa Man
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Re: McCully Basin, Eagle Cap Wilderness
Thank you for the great report and images. I've explored several areas of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, including the Copper Creek/Swamp Lake/Chimney Lake/Lostine River Loop this summer, but not McCully Basin. It's definitely on my to-do list. Thanks again for the info!