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| Photo courtesy of Brian Sather, the Grizzly Ridge Trail near Imnaha. lagranderide.com/rideguide/mountain-bike/joseph |
Mountain
bikers who plan to do some riding in Wallowa County should check out the network
of mapped, signed and maintained trails south of Joseph, which are promoted by the
Wallowa Chamber of Commerce with maps and instructions. Trailheads are near
Ferguson Ridge Snow Park, 14 miles south of Joseph, and at the Salt Creek
Summit pull-out, 19 miles south of town. Riding season is typically mid-June to
the end of October.
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| The Redmont Trail Area near Joseph, Oregon |
A contributor to the in the mtbr forum says the Redmont Trail has "some decent tread for about a
14-mile loop." Another wasn't quite as impressed due to an undesirable amount of double
track and overgrown roads. But from reading the Wallowa Chamber's website, it
looks like more energy has gone into rider hospitality in recent years.
Even so, MTB opportunities are limited in the Wallowa area despite
the profusion of wide open country and public lands. For example, no bikes are allowed on the
trails around Wallowa State Park and much of the surrounding
forest beyond the park is Wilderness. The beautiful grasslands of Zumwalt Prairie north of town are also off limits to bikes.
Mountain bikers are naturally attracted to the idea of
hauling their gear up Howard Mountain on the Tram on the south end of Wallowa
Lake, but that desire is unfortunately not supported by the owners at this
time.
There are a few other cool rides you may want to check out
on the way to Joseph. The Elkhorn Crest Trail near Baker offers single track,
and there are riding opportunities between Enterprise and the Grande Ronde
River in the Sled Springs OHV area along State Hwy 82.
For detailed insights about these trails and other possibilities, check MTB enthusiast Brian Sather's Mountain Bike Guides for Joseph on LaGrande Ride Inc,
