Elkhorn Crest Trail in northeast Oregon is a unique pathway

BAKER CITY – Views across the length of northeast Oregon feel almost commonplace on the Elkhorn Crest Trail, one of the highest and most unique pathways in the state.

The 23-mile national recreation trail tightropes across the granite spine of the Elkhorn Range, where mountain goats roam sheer peaks and alpine lakes dapple multicolored valleys high above the prairie below.

“It’s this beautiful little gem tucked into a part of Oregon that’s still pretty unexplored,” said Pat Thomas, owner of Range Tour and Shuttle Company in Baker City. “To hear my friends in Bend tell it, the Elkhorns are located somewhere near Outer Mongolia.”

I made the journey all the way to Outer Mongolia, er, the Elkhorn Mountains, this month for six days of adventure.

The first thing that sticks out about the Elkhorn Crest is its elevation. The trail stretches from one high pass to another – staying close to 8,000 feet throughout – on a fairly level route between trailheads at Anthony Lake Campground and Marble Pass.

Water is almost nonexistent on the crest, but short trails lead to five alpine lakes: Dutch Flat, Lost, Meadow, Summit and Twin lakes.

“It’s a very nice place to backpack,” said Jay Moore, recreation specialist with Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. “With the exception of one steep area near Anthony Lake, it’s a gentle trail with small ups and downs. It’s very well designed.”

The trail is intertwined with northeast Oregon’s mining history. Sections of the path show up on Forest Service maps as far back as 1931, connecting old boomtowns to the high mountain lakes and crest.

The trail was gradually lengthened, sometimes using dynamite to blast through mountain passes, on a route that had a reputation for multiple uses.

Motorcycles were once a common sight on the Elkhorn Crest, though only a few are seen these days. While day-hiking and backpacking are the most popular uses, the fastest-growing activity on the Elkhorn Crest is mountain biking.

“There’s a feeling of being way out there, as you’re riding one of the highest trails in the state and playing around in these stunning lake basins,” said Thomas, who offers mountain bike tours, along with shuttles for bikers and backpackers. “There aren’t many places in Oregon where you can do that.”

Mountain bikes, and motorcycles for that matter, don’t have free rein across the Elkhorn Crest.

From Marble Pass, riders can travel 14 miles before they hit the boundary of the North Fork John Day Wilderness, where bikes and motorcycles aren’t allowed.

Established in 1984, the wilderness boundary has long been a source of frustration among locals for the way it creeps just across the Elkhorn Crest, limiting recreation on one of the few alpine trails in Oregon where pedals and engines can be used.

“Especially with mountain biking getting bigger, there’s this sense that without the wilderness right there, the Elkhorn Crest could be this ultimate destination trail,” Moore said. “You hear it a lot, that people really wish this particular area wasn’t in the wilderness.”

“Would I like to see people be able to ride all the way? Would it help me as tour operator?” Thomas said. “Of course, the answer is yes. The fact that the boundary is there, on this trail, is a little frustrating.

“But the rides are still really incredible, and the trail so beautiful, no matter how you use it.”