Halfway to Wallowa Lake

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Halfway, OR, US

Route Overview

Cycle Oregon

Building Community Through Cycling

77 mi.

6,988 ft.

“Triple High-Pass”

This ride is a challenge. There are three – feel ‘em, three – major climbs, plus a bonus hill for masochists. Leaving Pine Valley, you’ll climb into the Wallowas, passing through multiple vegetation zones, but relax into it – the scenery makes it worthwhile. It’s your choice whether to propel up to the stunning Hells Canyon Overlook. Descend to the Imnaha River, then climb some more before soaking in the views along Little Sheep Creek, into Joseph and along the edge of Wallowa Lake.

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Route Details

This is one of the most scenic, and difficult, rides in Oregon, traveling from the Pine Valley community of Halfway (Half.com for a while) to the art/foundry community of Joseph, just six miles from spectacular Wallowa Lake.  The route travels through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest for almost its entire length.

The first ten miles is downhill along Pine Creek to the @point[junction of U.S. Forest Service Road 39 (Wallowa Mountain Road)](355,0.775).  The first thirteen miles of Road 39 has been deteriorating for years, and until recently was rough and full of potholes.  **The road is currently being completely re-worked, and will be completed sometime before November of 2015**.  Near the end of the new section of road, *the first of three major climbs begin*.

Riding along North Pine Creek, the road climbs for seventeen miles, with a pitch varying between five and six percent.  Luckily the scenery is beautiful to take the mind of the relentless pealing to reach the @point[summit at 5,3982’](1168,0.019).  The road then makes a quick and steep descent of nearly five miles to the @point[Ollokot Campground on the Imnaha River](868,0.954).

For those who want to add a little more climbing to this nearly 7,000’ day, a scenic out-and-back to the @point[Hells Canyon Overlook](1212,0.643) begins just after this first summit.  It is a 5.7 mile round trip to the overlook (looking down into the Snake River, creating the deepest gorge in North America), with the majority of the way to the overlook climbing a hill.  But, the ride back to Road 39 is downhill!

After leaving the Imnaha River, there are nearly two miles of generally flat road before the second climb begins.  This climb is much shorter than the first, only ten miles of approximately 5% grade, @point[summiting at 5,900](1744,0.86)’.   Then the road is downhill for about three miles before the last major climb of only four miles to the @point[summit at Salt Creek Sno Park](2086,0.859), which is “almost” the last climbing on the route.  This part of the route travels through an area of an old forest fire, leaving acres of white (dead) trees still standing after being burned.

Then, as a reward for all the climbing, the road (rough in places) travels downhill for nine miles.  Oops! – One more hill waits at the bottom of the hill.  This @slice[“big bump” is only a mile and a half long](2303,75), and then it is a quick, and gradual, descent into @point[Joseph](2425,0.938) with views of the Eagle Cap Wilderness (Wallowa Mountains) and a vast array of agricultural fields.  From Joseph, the route travels past @point[Old Chief Joseph’s gravesite](2499,0.145), and along the edge of @point[Wallowa Lake](2504,0.301) to the state park.

Halfway to Wallowa Lake

Route Overview

Route Details

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