Chimney and Steamboat Lakes

Difficult (to Chimney Lake)

10.2 miles round trip

2420 feet elevation gain

Open late July through October

Use: hikers, horses


Difficult (to Steamboat Lake)

29.3-mile loop

5920 feet elevation gain

Here are the Wallowa Mountains at their best: heather-rimmed alpine lakes, granite peaks, and wildflower meadows. But this isn’t the famous, crowded Lake Basin below Eagle Cap’s cliffs. It’s a quieter corner of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. For a strenuous day hike, explore Chimney Lake, in a basin with four other lakes.  For a 3-day trip, continue across passes to Steamboat and Swamp Lakes.

Start by dirving to . . .

On the third day, climb from . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes: Eastern Oregon