Wallowa Lake Trailhead — Attraction in Oregon

The Wallowa Lake Trailhead is the starting destination for many of the high alpine lakes in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Notably, Ice Lake is one of the premier destinations starting at this trail head. The hike beginning at the Wallowa Lake Trailhead is 7.5 miles and gains an elevation of 3,400 feet before reaching Ice Lake. The hike is considered difficult, although the elevation gain is spread out over the length of the hike, with a final push through a series of steep switchbacks. There are a few spots where you would certainly not want to slip, but otherwise you just need stamina. To begin the hike, take the West Fork Wallowa River Trail #1820 and soon cross a bridge over the West Fork of the Wallow River. Continue to head up a dusty tread, well-trodden by mule and horse trains. It is a slow uphill climb, with many switchbacks along the way. The first three miles follow the roaring West Fork Wallowa River before a cutoff for Ice Lake Trail takes you across a log bridge and uphill. Follow the Ice Lake #1808 trail; along the way are meadows sprinkled with wildflowers and plunging waterfalls. There are many areas to take a break and enjoy the scenery. One of the finer spots is at mile 5.4, where Lower Adam Creek Falls thunders into the canyon and Upper Adam Creek Falls can be seen in the distance above. The trail continues to climb through high country meadows until finally reaching an alpine bench with Ice Lake soon in view.

Ice Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness is the premier alpine lake in Oregon. While many are content with admiring the beauty of the Wallowas from a distance there is no finer experience than hiking into the core of the wilderness and camping among nature in a pristine environment. The scenery is remarkable, with photo opportunities in every direction. One view in particular is the stillness of Ice Lake; it creates a perfect mirror reflection of the route up the back side to the Matterhorn, especially at sunrise when the orange and red hues are present. Plan on spending two nights at the lake, so that you can experience one full day from sunrise to sunset in this alpine wonderland. From relaxing by the lake, to fishing, or making a climb up to Sacajawea Peak, Ice Lake offers a reward to all who make the trek. In my opinion, Ice Lake is the top destination in Oregon for hiking and...

A nice trail with many options to explore the Eagle Cap Wilderness with great views of the Wallowa Mountains and the river.

The trail is uneven with a number of rocks to avoid stepping on and is a little steep on the first part of trail and has several springs to wade through.

The first trail option is the Chief Joseph Trail, which is about seven miles to 10,000-foot summit of the mountain.

It is about three miles to the junction with the Ice Lake Trail and is a good stopping point if you want a short hike.

Ice Lake is about a five mile hike and climbs about 2400 feet with great views of the lake from the trail.

I stopped at this point and hiked down to the river a short distance on the Ice Lake Trail.

I returned to the West Fork Wallowa Trail and hiked for about twenty Minutes up the trail before returning to the Trailhead.

The trail continues on to Six Mile Meadow (6 miles from the trailhead), Frazier Lake (9 miles), Hawkins Pass (11.1 miles) and a number of other lakes.

Located near Wallowa State Park at the end of Powerhouse Road and a short distance from the Wallowa Lake Tramway.

A great place to spend an afternoon hiking in the Eagle Cap Wilderness with a number of different trails with stunning views of the mountains and lakes and a short distance from the...

Really pretty trail, I hiked ~5 miles up the West Wallowa trail and on the way back took the Chief Joseph Trail to the bridge before doubling back to the Wallowa Lake Trailhead. Even though it is the end of May and I was a little worried about snow, there wasn't any on the trail until around mile 4 and there weren't significant amounts until 5, even then it was still easily walkable. I'd say it's a moderate trail, not strenuous as it isn't a big incline. It also looked as though it was a popular backpacking area, I saw multiple backpackers potentially going to Ice Lake(I saw the sign for this partway up the West...