Firstly, Not being hunters, we didn't even think to bring any orange clothing on a day hike in the Blues. Be sure if hiking in this region during hunting season to bring along some orange gear for safety! Drove up late on a Friday night and set up camp at Godman campground in the dark. Had a nice fire and woke up surprised to see a bit of snow on the side of the hill. Word of warning: We had no reception and only had the GPS coordinates of the trailhead from this site to lead us to the trailhead. When typed into google, the location that pops up appears to be on the middle of the three roads once the forest road 4608 splits. The correct choice is to take the right most of the three, which will lead you to teepee campground/trailhead. (this campground is discoverable in google maps, but google does not recognize the road to get there for your driving directions.) We ended up not actually hiking the Oregon Butte trail because of this. We parked shortly after the split and ended up following forest road 90 (the middle of the three roads) until it ended at a gate. Hiking past the gate, we followed a faded double track for ~2 miles until it turned into faint single-track. After another 0.5 miles along this the trail seemed to fade into nothing as it ended on the top of a ridge line. Ended up being a decent hike, but not the intended destination.

Trail conditions Tucannon River Trail: ~105 blow-down that have mostly been limbed and are easy to cross. Jelly Spring Trail (aka bear creek trail): ~130 blow-down (mostly ez but not limbed) from the Tucannon River to Diamond Peak. Melton Creek Trail: ~30 blow-down (mostly ez) from Diamond Peak to junction with Crooked Creek, brushy at times but good tread. Crooked Creek Trail: In good condition mostly through a burned area from Melton Creek Junction to Wenaha River. Crooked Creek can currently be crossed at the Wenaha River junction on a sketchy log with dry feet or via a knee deep ford. Wenaha River Trail: In good condition through burned area from Crooked Creek Jct to Smooth Ridge Jct. Smooth Ridge Trail: Trail is often little more than an elk path and frequently obscured by blow-down and vigorous new growth through burned area from the Wenaha River to Weller Butte. I often lost the trail only to find it again after a minute or two. Map, compass and route finding skills necessary for this section. Occasional blow-down from Weller Butte to the Jct with the Mt. Misery Trail at Oregon Butte. Mt. Misery Trail: A couple blow-down and intermittent snow to cross from the Teepee TH to Oregon Butte. A Prius at the Teepee TH suggests the road is free and clear. Trail also had snow near Diamond Peak. Turkey Creek Trail: ~70 blow-down (many large unlimbed trees) that are difficult to cross. ~10 creek crossings, all of which could be rock/log hopped with dry feet. Panjab Trail: Excellent condition. Trip report I went backpacking in the remote Tucannon-Wenaha wilderness this memorial day weekend with the goal of visiting the highest (Diamond Peak and Oregon Butte) and lowest points (Tucannon River and Wenaha River bordering the N and S ends of the wilderness) as well as taking in some of the trails through the heart of the region. I started Friday afternoon from the Tucannon River TH and made it up to Diamond Peak in time to make camp and watch the sunset. Many fungi (including morels) were fruiting along the trail between the Tucannon River and Jelly springs. Why didn't I pack any butter!? On Saturday I rambled downhill on the Melton Creek Trail which was pleasant and had views of the deep canyons of the Blue Mountains as well as the Wallowas in the distance. I surprised a couple deer and two bears in the morning and made it down to the Jct with the Crooked Creek trail by lunch time. Unfortunately, the Melton Creek trail is burned on the lower sections and stays too high above the creek to get water and shade on a hot day. Upon reaching Crooked creek I promptly took a dip, made a pot of coffee, and then passed out in the shade along the bank for a bit. I followed Crooked Creek down to the Wenaha River in the afternoon where I encountered a herd of goats on the hillside about 100 feet above the trail. I continued along the Wenaha to Fairview Bar and camped on the bank. The established campsites all burned in the recent fire and did not appear pleasant. The Wenaha Trail looked like it receives little use beyond the junction with Smooth Ridge and I'm curious what its like farther upstream and how far the burn extends. Next time I suppose... Sunday morning I got going early in order to head up Smooth Ridge before it got too hot. Climbing Smooth Ridge above the Wenaha River as the sun rose was stunning. Pictures don't do it justice. The Smooth Ridge Trail travels through burn area almost to Weller Butte. I have to admit that I enjoy hiking recent burns (in the morning and evenings; they're too hot mid-day). The contrast of charred wood and soot against vibrant new growth always makes me smile. The Smooth Ridge trail kept disappearing and reappearing on me and I had to keep my map handy to frequently confirm that I was going the correct direction. The major burn area ended just before Weller Butte and coincided with massive wild flower displays in the high meadows. I had planned to take a break at Weller Butte to eat my lunch but there were four bears grazing in the meadow below the Butte. Two were hanging out on the trail so I waited for them to wander off and made sure I was a bit further along into the woods before enjoying my Snickers bar. :) The views along this section of the ridge were great and I never needed to carry more than a liter of water between springs/creeks. McBain spring had particularly cold and delicious water gushing from it. mmmmm! I made my second and third coffees of the day at the Oregon Butte lookout and enjoyed the views before rambling down to Teepee TH and then down the Turkey Creek Trail to my bicycle which I had tossed in the trees near the Panjab TH. I was pooped by this point but managed to ride my bike back to the Tucannon TH in time to see the hills turn purple and jump in the river before it got dark. All together I encountered more bears (7) on this loop than humans (4). That's a ratio I enjoy. Thoughts on hiking in the Blue Mountains This trip was as much a reconnaissance as anything else since there is very little information in guide books and on the internet concerning hiking and backpacking in the Blue Mountains. I typically think of the Blue Mountains as hot and dry, because they are. However, it seems that there are many trails that follow creeks that flow all summer long. Hiking along Crooked Creek was really pleasant and I think next time I do a loop in this area I will hike Crooked Creek or Third Creek from the Mt. Misery Trail rather than Melton Creek. The Turkey creek trail is apparently the secret hikers trail to make an excellent loop from the Panjab TH (Panjab TH -> Indian corral -> Oregon Butte -> Teepee TH -> Panjab TH; or reverse). The Turkey Creek trail stays next to the babbling creek the whole way and has some of the best old-growth I've seen in the blue mountains. The trail is unmarked (few trail's and junctions in the Blue mountains have signs) and starts from a campsite near the port-o-john at Teepee TH and connects with the Panjab Trail a mile from the Panjab TH. Turkey Creek Trail is currently in poor condition with lots of difficult blow-down to navigate. It had a couple campsites along it. Now that I've seen some of the east side of the Tucannon-Wenaha, I'm curious about the west side and look forward to exploring the upper portion of the Wenaha River and trails connecting with it (slick ear, grizzly bear ridge, twin buttes, round butte, sawtooth, the possibilities go on...

What a perfect hike this would be. On our way to McCall, Idaho for a rafting trip this would split the drive and give us an easy hike to stretch our legs. Oregon Butte has many superlatives; highest point in the Blue Mountains of Washington, highest point in Columbia County, and it has a standing fire lookout. As far as I could tell the only drawback is the ~40 mile approach from highway 12 to the trailhead. The road wasn’t nearly as bad as some trip reports made it sound. Some washboard in spots, and certainly long, but no potholes to speak of. A good long stretch of it is on what is called the Kendall Skyline Route. This high elevation road was built in the 20s by a Forest Service leader who thought improved access to the area was needed after he was accidentally shot and then took days to be carried back to civilization. This road ranges up to 5600’ providing fantastic views of the ridges and valleys of the surrounding mountains. As we approached Godman Campground, 36 miles into the backcountry, we encountered a “road closed” sign. CLOSED! There were numerous other places it could have been signed. Alas, this wonderful sounding ridgeline will have to wait for another day☹

A great day hiking to Oregon Butte lookout. We traveled from Dayton along Skyline Road. Just before Godman Campground, take a left on Forest Road 4608. There is no signage until you've traveled approximately 30 yards down the road. The signage can't be seen from Forest Road 46. If you get to the campground while traveling on 46, you went too far. We did and had to turn around. Once at the end of 4608, the trail is easy to spot. About 3 miles into the hike, you'll have a choice to take a right or continue straight. Take a right, which is a bit more steep than continuing straight. The trail sort of circles back along the ridge. From this point, you're minutes from the lookout. The views on a clear day are amazing. The lookout has a bench for two allowing for a respite. While traveling on 4608 we saw deer and turkeys. During our hike we ran across three other parties. As we made it back to the trailhead, we saw 4 horses and a few pack mules along with four riders. There are restrooms at the trailhead and even a toilet near the lookout as well.