Oregon Butte — Sunday, Jul. 4, 2010

Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains

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.