Elevation change: 400+ (RunKeeper ranges from 403-460 because it's stupidly inaccurate)
Distance: about 4 miles (see above about RunKeeper)
My rating: Just right. I guess my ratings will be like Goldilocks. Easy, just right, and challenging. This trail is just right.
The first hike I'm going to post about is the one I do most often because it's local-ish and just the right level for my abilities.
It's a loop trail (as long as you follow my instructions below) that is about 4 miles long. I use RunKeeper as my tracker and sometimes it has a mind of it's own when it comes to the GPS. The trail is around 400 feet of elevation change. For me, it's just the right amount of physical challenge. I have to stop to take breather breaks along the way. Because of my non-balance, when I hike I have to really concentrate on the ground in front of me so I also use my breather breaks to just look around at the nature. The path isn't a super wide trail, some parts wider than others, but it seems to be used enough to be maintained. I often see horseshoe prints, I'll bet it's a great riding trail.
This trail is just off of Tollgate (Highway 204) between Elgin and Weston here in Eastern Oregon. From the Weston side, start looking after you pass Spout Springs, Balloon Tree Road is on the left just past milepost 24. From the Elgin side, be on the lookout before milepost 24.
Drive up Balloon Tree Road probably half a mile (I didn’t look/measure) and there will be a turnout with a gate to the left—don’t turn here, but this gate is where the end of the loop is pretty much. Just ahead on the right there’s a turnout, DO turn in there and pull off somewhere to park. You’ll see this sign (well, you'll have to look, it's not a very big or obvious sign):
That’s the trailhead there to the left. You’ll take it maybe 50+ feet and you’ll have to cross Balloon Tree road. It’s at a diagonal, but the trail does pick up on the other side of the road.
After about 1.5 miles (depending on where you remember to start your tracker and how accurate it is) you’ll come to a split:
Go left. If you go right it’s another trail, I did it once and didn’t like it, but it does loop back to Balloon Tree. I disliked it so much I will not even do a later blog post about it, I don't remember much except that I fell a couple times and just didn't like it.
At about 2-mile point, another split, stay left again:
I don’t even know if the right-side path goes anywhere.
At about the 2.4-ish? mile point you’ll scramble up a very short but steep (compared to the rest of the hike) spot on the trail but at the top it opens up to the meadow. The viewpoint that makes this hike so awesome is to the right, I’m not sure why the trail stays so far away from the view, but what do I know. To get the best view you will wander off the trail like 50 feet or so? But it's easy to find it again.
This is the view. It's awesome. I love this spot because it's very quintessentially Eastern Oregon. If there was any shade up there at the top, I could easily sit out there for a long time.
Once you find your way back to the trail in the meadow, you'll find the trail opens up to what I'm assuming are old logging roads.
I forgot to look at the distance when I got to these spots, but there’s two more spots where you have to choose your direction, just always stay to the left.
You can sort of see in the photo below the mountains in the back. When you get to this part of the trail you'll be facing east. The mountains are the Wallowas and Elkhorns. If you're familiar with the landscape out of LaGrande, you'll probably recognize the backside of Mt. Emily as you're nearing the end. The best time for the best view east is in the spring before forest fire smoke gets bad. Course, fire season is earlier and earlier. Spring is also a great time to see a huge variety of wildflowers. If you get up there at the perfect time, you'll see Indian Paintbrush all over. Early August and you will be able to pick huckleberries--yum!
The last mile or so of the trail is these old logging roads and are very rocky in some spots. My brace has it's work cut out for it holding up my ankle on the last part. There's also considerably less shade after the viewpoint. You can see here how exposed it is. Wear lots of sunscreen and a good hat.
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