Wallowas - North Bowman trip

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
Post Reply
User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Wallowas - North Bowman trip

Post by drm » September 16th, 2014, 6:31 pm

We had so many Wallowa trip reports last year, not so many this year. Maybe people were all hiked out from trips to the Trinities? :lol:

I planned this trip to the Wallowa Mountains to go up the West Fork of the Wallowa River to Ice Lake and the central Lakes Basin. But there was a fire there so I had to relocate and chose the Bowman trailhead about 30 miles away. There is a popular loop here but I had done the southern parts of it a few years back up Copper Creek to Swamp Lake, so decided to just explore around the north side. There are a number of spur trails that leave the main loop trail, so it is well suited to detours off the main loop trail. It's a nice area and two of my three nights there was nobody else camped where I was. But the lakes are a bit more rubble/talus bound compared to the granite walls in the main basin.

Nights were cold - usually in the 30s - and the days were mostly warm and solid sun.

The trail leaves the Lostine River at 5200' and heads gradually uphill. This is the view across the canyon. The Frances Lake trail goes up that ridge and drops to the lake 1000 feet lower on the other side.
Image

After about 4 miles and 2000' gain, you come to a junction which I turned right at.
Image

Shortly after the turn is Laverty Lakes, a couple of nice camps here.
Image

Less than a half mile later is Chimney Lake at 7600', where I set up camp. I chose a camp to get sun as early as possible and it hit the tent before 7am. :D
Image

After relaxing a bit, I headed up on the trail that you can barely see contouring across above Chimney Lake. At the pass above, I turned left on the unsigned trail for Hobo Lake. I was later told that I only went to Little Hobo Lake and another bigger Hobo Lake was just above.
Image

Returning to the main trail, I continued down the other side of the pass towards Wood Lake, a mile further. There are huge green meadows on the south side of the lake.
Image

Which lead directly to the lake
Image

The next day I returned to Brownie Basin, which must have it's own good camps.
Image

and hiked over a pass into Wilson Basin, where there are more meadows. This one leads to John Henry Lake, but it is very marshy and wet - even this late in the year.
Image

Further down Wilson Basin and the trail drops off towards North Minam Meadows. People doing the loop head left there.
Image

Which you gradually and eventually descend to
Image

Lots of horse camps down here. Almost as low as the TH at 5500'.
Image

The next goal was to hike up to remote Green Lake. But the trail was not marked and there were numerous trails leading to camps. I really had almost given up and was considering a plan B when
I decided to look a little more. It took me an hour to find the right trail where it leaves the North Minam Trail, about a quarter mile below where the trail from Wilson Basin joins in.

This is the junction:
Image

3.5 miles later you reach Green Lake, the end of that trail and so not often visited by hikers. There was a camp behind the meadow at the left, but another one near where you first get to the lake would be better if you only need space for one tent.
Image

After a pleasant night with Green Lake, really the only one where it was warm enough to stay up for the stars (which were fully bright before 9pm),
I retraced my steps to Wilson Basin and set up camp near the lower end next to yet another meadow. The picture is where I initially set up camp. But note the tree on the left that my pack is hanging from.
This tree is
(1) Dead,
(2) Cracked up it's entire length, and
(3) leaning towards my tent.
Trees falling on campers and killing them is not all that rare. I was lazy and thought - looks like it will only land on my ankles.

Although it was not windy, I decided to move my camp a little ways (didn't get a pic of the new spot).
Image

Later I headed up the Bear Creek Trail and had this view down into Wilson Basin.
Image

As I neared a pass where Bear Creek starts down the other side, there were yet more nice alpine meadows to the left. Looks like some good terrain for exploring here.
Image

These meadows continued to the junction with the Washboard Ridge Trail. It turns left here according to the sign but there is no trail visible in the meadow.
Image

Bear Creek was straight ahead, but instead I turned right onto an obvious trail going up to Bear Lake (8000'), a half mile or so up. This trail was not on my map,
but a handout from the FS had one (still not this one - it was farther down)
Image

This was a very nice spot for a break and I saw a Clark's Nutcracker
Image

That was it. I returned to camp and hiked out the next morning. I spent that night at the historic Wallowa Lake Lodge.
Image

Image

mtnhiker56
Posts: 125
Joined: August 21st, 2011, 7:29 am

Re: Wallowas - North Bowman trip

Post by mtnhiker56 » September 16th, 2014, 6:55 pm

Great Hike! Did it a couple of years ago. Still think fondly of it....

User avatar
texasbb
Posts: 1174
Joined: July 26th, 2008, 8:16 pm
Location: Tri-Cities, WA

Re: Wallowas - North Bowman trip

Post by texasbb » September 16th, 2014, 7:54 pm

Thanks, Dean, that's a great report. I've had that area on my "someday" list for a while; looks like a wonderful lake bagging adventure.

So is the Little Hobo Lake you found that shallow looking thing just north of the one labeled Hobo Lake on the map?

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Wallowas - North Bowman trip

Post by drm » September 17th, 2014, 12:23 pm

texasbb wrote:So is the Little Hobo Lake you found that shallow looking thing just north of the one labeled Hobo Lake on the map?
I suppose, but no map of mine shows a separate little lake next to the main Hobo Lake. I normally make copies of larger maps for trips like these and then forgot to take the main Geo-Graphics map along. So when I switched areas, I had no map. The FS had free single sheet handouts that are photocopies of topos, so that's what I had with me. But looking at the Geo-Graphics now, I only see one Hobo Lake.

User avatar
BurnsideBob
Posts: 534
Joined: May 6th, 2014, 3:15 pm
Location: Mount Angel, Oregon

Re: Wallowas - North Bowman trip

Post by BurnsideBob » September 17th, 2014, 6:51 pm

Thanks for a great trip report about an area I hope to visit some day.

You've piqued my interest!
I keep making protein shakes but they always turn out like margaritas.

User avatar
RobinB
Posts: 803
Joined: September 9th, 2013, 11:29 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Wallowas - North Bowman trip

Post by RobinB » September 21st, 2014, 9:32 am

Nice! Pity about the fire, but it looks like you found a great alternative. We just got back from a loop around the lakes basin (West Fork reopened on the 16th), but now I want to go back and do what you did :)

Post Reply