Living on the western side of the state, we rarely get the opportunity to explore the beauty found on the southeast edges of this great state, however, this weekend while visiting relatives near Dayton we headed up into the Blue Mountains. We thoroughly enjoyed the hike to Oregon Butte, though we are not used to having to drive on gravel roads for so many miles. But the roads were all in good condition and the Kendall Skyline road is absolutely beautiful this time of year. The road weaves along the ridge through meadows of wildflowers and passed numerous views points of the valleys below. After about 30 miles of gravel roads, we finally reached the parking lot at Teepee Trailhead where we made use of the picnic table for a quick lunch before hitting the trail to Oregon Butte. Though rain was in the forecast, only thin clouds obscured the sun and with the gentle breeze our hike began in ideal temperatures. No bugs to speak of either. Though the flowers were profuse on the drive along Skyline, only a few varieties were blooming along the trail. There were many trees across the trail, a couple more challenging than most, but we managed to navigate over or around all of them. On the hike in we took the West Butte fork (right) which was a little hard to follow at times since there were many trees across the trail and a couple of large snow patches. However, we eventually met up with the main trail and continued toward the butte. We could see the lookout from one of the West Butte viewpoints. The trail, however, circles around the backside of the butte before following the ridge to the lookout. Before reaching the lookout, we came to another fork in the trail and though it wasn’t marked, we sensed we should go right since the right fork headed uphill and back the direction we thought we had seen the lookout from West Butte. We were glad to reach the ridge and confirm that we had taken the correct trail. As we approached the lookout, thick clouds started forming to the east. The wind picked up significantly and fog began swirling around the valleys and over our heads, soon all views of the valleys below had vanished. It was also getting cold so we decided to head back to the car. Not more than ¼ mile from the lookout, we heard the first clap of thunder and knowing that being on the ridge during a thunder storm was probably not a good idea, we quickened our pace considerably and made it back down the trail in record time. The heavy rain began when we were about ½ mile from the car so we didn’t take the time to stop and put on jackets. While driving back down the gravel roads toward Dayton, we could see black clouds and lightning to the east and experienced a brief burst of hail. But while still on Kendall Skyline Road, streams of sunlight penetrated the clouds creating stunning light patterns on the hills and valleys encouraging us to stop and marvel at the beauty in the changing weather systems. I should mention that though we stayed to the trail as best we could, we still came away with a couple of ticks crawling on our clothes so be sure to check after hiking this trail. It should also be noted that this trail is 6 miles roundtrip (instead of the 3 miles currently listed in the WTA hiking guide) with elevation gain of about 980 feet.

This is a great time of year to hike this trail. This year is very green and the wildflowers are fantastic. The trail has been cleared, thanks to the amazing hard work of the Pomeroy Ranger District crews. The views are well worth the hike. It should be noted that this hike is closer to 3 miles one way, with an elevation gain of 900 feet. It takes about 1 to 2 hours to hike up, and about an hour down for most people. There are many options for extending this hike or creating a loop if you are looking for a greater challenge. The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness map is useful if you want to go further than Oregon Butte.

I have taken this hike a number of times with my then-teenagers and husband, and today, took my 5-year-old nephew. He is a persistent little guy who REALLY wanted to see the fire lookout, otherwise we would have turned back to the parking area at Teepee Trailhead shortly after we started! There are NUMEROUS trees blown down over the trail, with particularly difficult passage after the spring. Climbing over them was not always possible, so going around was necessary, and made me fear losing the trail at times. We did run into several remaining patches of snow, and had a great snowball fight ("in JULY!!!") which was fun. Lots of wildflowers, and a cougar print in a snow patch were the highlights. There was some disappointment when we reached the fire lookout because it was not manned (not sure why? Wet spring, low risk of fires, budget cuts, perhaps?), but quickly recovered because of the beautiful views, and snacks on the little bench outside the lookout. Gillions of huckleberries brewing, but won't be ready for another month or so, I bet.

This years outlandishly wet spring season has one beneficiary: lush foliage and carpets of wildflowers. The Oregon Butte area of SE WA is in prime season now to experience this - but hurry and get there before the trails turn to dusty tracks and the foliage fades to shades of taupe. We stopped for lunch in the lovely town of Dayton - the gateway to the Tucannon Wilderness. To reach the Oregon Butte area, you head SE on 4th St. about a 1/2 mile and turn left on the street marked with the white sign indicating "Skyline Dr". This well-maintained road (mostly gravel) takes you up to the mile-high "Kendall Skyline Road" that traverses a long ridge, often with stunning views from both sides of the narrow ridge. We pitched camp at the Godman CG (notable for its unique fire pits) for the night, which is just a short distance from the TH. There is a sign posted there that this currently free CG is unlikely to stay that way for long. Be sure to check the NFS website for updates. Even on the 4th of July weekend, plenty of campsites were available and on normal weekends, this area is largely deserted. The trail to Oregon Butte starts from the TeePee TH, about 4mi by road E of the Godman CG. This is another great option to camp at if you want an early start for a longer trip - with a lovely view down into a deep valley, a vault toilette, and picnic tables. You will need a NW Forest Pass to park here. The trail follows West Butte ridge and treats you to about 4mi of thick forests, meadows, spectacular views, and flowing springs before you reach a trail junction. The main trail (The Mount Misery Trail you are currently on) veers to the North and dives deep into the wilderness area for a memorable multi-night trip. A right turn at the junction will take you the short distance south to the summit of Oregon Butte and the active fire lookout. The highest point in SE WA affords super views of the Blue Mtns, the Seven Devils of ID, and we were lucky to even glimpse a very distant Mt. Adams. We pitched out tent at one of the several established sites along the ridge, hung our hammock, and explored the area all afternoon. There is a vault toilette nearby as well - talk about 5-Star luxury camping! There is no water at the ridgeline; the closest water is about 1/3mi back down the main trail at the Oregon Butte spring that you passed on the way up. There is another spring about a 1mi further north on the ridge from the trail junction along the Mt. Misery trail. Most people day-hike this trail, and it’s a great excursion if you are visiting Walla Walla and need a day to cleanse your palate. With plenty of spare time and the desire to enjoy the glory of a wilderness sunset, we made it into a lazy one-nighter.

My wife and I were in Walla Walla at six AM for the Hot Air Balloon Stampede takeoff. It was fun but after about an hour and a half all of the balloons had floated away. We were ready for our ascent too so we headed for the Blue Mountains. The Pomeroy Ranger Station advised that the Lookout trail might still be under snow. But the warm sun was shining and we wanted to get up on a ridge so we decided to try it anyway. The long road to the Teepee Trailhead was in good shape. What little snow remained near the trailhead had been plowed. There were meadows along the road full of flowers. The parking area at the trailhead was empty. There were a few blow-downs on the trail but they weren't too difficult to get past. There was also quite a few patches of snow on the way to the ridgetop but by following the sawed blow-downs we were able to follow the trail. The ridge top was free of snow and a variety of flowers were already blooming. We reached the lookout and tried the door. Locked! We had to settle for the next best thing and set up our tent. Just in time too because our warm sunshine had turned to cold rain. Then the wind changed direction and our leeward camp site was now a windward camp site. Then it started to hail. It got a little scary and we decided that if our tent poles snapped we were going to pry the lock of of the lookout door. Fortunately the wind finally died down and we got a pretty good night's sleep. The clouds were at the same elevation as us in the morning and we had our hot coffee in intermittant sun and fog. We explored the rest of the ridge for a while and then headed back.