Western Hiker -- Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon Wilderness

Welcome to WH
Western Hiker recommends that you take a close look at the Cornucopia Lodge (cornucopialodge.com) if you're considering a trip outdoors this year. The lodge sits nine miles north of Halfway, Oregon right next door to the old mining town of Cornucopia. At any time of year, the Lodge can be your basecamp for adventure in Eagle Cap Wilderness or Hells Canyon.
WH News & Notes

Welcome to Wild Oregon

"I must walk toward Oregon . . . ."
     Henry David Thoreau, Walking (1862)

Western Hiker will take you into some of the most spectacular wild country in the world. Western Hiker specializes in base camp backpacking, drop camps for backpackers and mountaineers, and custom, guided mountain hikes in the Eagle Cap and Hells Canyon Wilderness areas of Northeast Oregon--over a million acres of adventure for all ages and abilities.

Click on the Adventures and Base Camp links in the top menu to learn more, and . . .

Make your reservation today!

"Eagle Cap Wilderness is the premier backpacking country of Oregon. It covers 580 square miles of the Wallowa Mountains in the northeast corner of Oregon. Anywhere you look in the Wallowas you will find absolutely breathtaking mountain scenery. There are fifty-two named high lakes, of which nearly all have an abundance of trout just waiting to take your bait. Many miles of river drain from the high alpine mountains through densely forested canyons. These rivers also have many trout, and several have received National Wild River status for their 'outstandingly remarkable' characteristics. The abundance and diversity of animal life in the Wallowa Mountains is sensational."

    Fred Barstad, from the introduction
    Hiking Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness (1997)
    Reprinted courtesy of Globe Pequot Press

Brendan Keavney has hiked many hundreds of miles in the mountains of Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana, and throughout the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Many of those miles have been solo.

“I spent five years in engineering school and another five in a relatively high-stress job, and when I wasn’t flying around the world to meetings I was decompressing alone in the wilderness.“

Now helping others enjoy and appreciate wilderness is Brendan's full time job at Western Hiker. Brendan Keavney is certified in wilderness first aid.

Allison Keavney and her brothers spent a great deal of time exploring the creeks, rivers, mountains, and forests surrounding Winlock, Washington where she grew up. It was only natural that she joined the local search and rescue team and spent time after high school exploring the world. She loves to hike and has backpacked in Yosemite, Sequoia, and Joshua Tree National Parks.

"I truly enjoy guiding. It is an excellent opportunity to meet new people and get out into the wilderness. There is nothing better than lying on your back on a grassy patch, snacking on blackberries, and watching the sun go down." Allison Keavney is certified in wilderness first aid.

Norman Young is the professional wilderness packer supporting Western Hiker with years of expertise. "I seem to spend more time in the wilderness than out," he says. In fact, Norm does spend most of his time in Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon from May to November, including at least one week-long trip across Eagle Cap. Though he knows a few old timers who won't use panniers and still prefer to top load the pack animal, Norm uses modern means to transport and protect your gear, including panniers, pack boxes, and manties. "Tying a diamond hitch on a top load is becoming less and less common as more and more packers are going to side loads only."

And Norm also knows the mountains as well as he knows packing. "I've ridden and packed nearly all the trails on the western side and southern end of the Eagle Caps and quite a bit on the eastern side and Hells Canyon as well."

Barry Greer has hiked, climbed, run, skied, and camped in Oregon's Cascades, the Wallowas, the Strawberries, the Steens, Gearhart, and Crater Lake National Park summer and winter for 25 years with an occasional sojourn to the Colorado Rockies.

He taught environmental lit in the Oregon State U. honors program and wrote the first history of North American solo mountaineering for Appalachia. His experience as a writer for Sierra, Climbing, Summit, Appalachia, Orion, and other publications led to his current career as developer of and webmaster for westernhiker.com, your first source for hiking information on Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon Wilderness in rugged northeastern Oregon.