Question:  Why is this delightful trail, just 10 miles from Joseph, virtually unused?  Answer: McCully Basin doesn’t have a lake.  So if you can’t live without fishing or swimming, forget McCully Basin.  Come here if you love alpine brooks, meadows, and high country where you can roam all day without seeing another human. It’s also the best base camp for a non-technical climb of Aneroid Mountain, Oregon’s ninth tallest peak.  Parking permits are required and group size is limited to 12.

From the gas station on Main Street . . .

The meadows here are heavenly, and even if you come in August you might well be the first visitor of the season. Where else in the Wallowas can you say that?

Other Options

McCully Basin is the best . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes: Eastern Oregon