Paradise’s back door

Published 11:53 pm Friday, August 30, 2013

Located at the end of Forest Road 7745 to the north of Baker City, East Eagle Trail offers a road less traveled into the stunning Eagle Cap Wilderness.

Less popular than the trails accessing the wilderness from the Lostine and Wallowa areas, its possible to spend an entire weekend along East Eagle Creek without seeing another hiker.

The cost of such seclusion is steep, though, and must be paid by strong knees and lungs.

The most popular destination for this trail is Hidden Lake, which is roughly 8.5 miles and 2,650 feet above the trailhead, which is located about 350 yards down a rough gravel road that leads from the turnaround at the end of road 7745. The gravel roads leading to the trailhead are easily passable by passenger car and parking permits are not required.

Horton Pass and Frazier Pass offer hikers options for treks farther into the wilderness and multi-day loops, but theyll be hard pressed to find a more scenic camping spot than the secluded Hidden Lake.

Established fire rings dot the landscape around the lake, and the northeast shore is well suited for parties that have come in on horseback or with pack animals.

Fishing and swimming in the deep spring-fed lake are excellent, and the 7-11 inch brook trout bite aggressively at dry flies such as the Adams or mosquito.

A?few ponds and the shallow Moon Lake are also nestled the subalpine meadow basin that is surrounded on three sides by granite crags. Wildflowers reach their peak bloom in August.

Options for day hikes with Hidden Lake as a base include trips over the surrounding ridges to Eagle, Little Pop or Bear Lakes, or back down into the East Eagle Creek valley and over Horton Pass to the Lakes Basin where several lakes are reachable. Minam Lake is also reachable within a day hike by taking Frazier Pass.

Those with very strong knees can use Hidden Lake as a base for a summit of Eagle Cap, which opens the possibility of a scramble down to Glacier Lake and a loop back through the Lakes Basin to Horton Pass.

The trip to the summit of Eagle Cap and back to Hidden Lake is about 15 miles and another 4,200 feet in elevation gain including the hike back up to Hidden Lake at days end.

East Eagle Trail is an excellent option for hikers with dogs, as it never strays too far from East Eagle Creek, which runs cold and clear all the way up to the final ascent to Horton Pass. Be sure to bring plenty of water for the hike up to Eagle Cap, though, because the only water from Horton Pass exists in the forms of snow fields that linger late into the summer.

For those looking to experience the Eagle Cap Wilderness from a different perspective, or those looking to escape the crowds that gather on the other side of the mountain range, East Eagle Trail is an excellent option they wont soon regret.