Wallowa Mountain Institute’s Field Trips connect you with Wallowa County’s amazingly diverse landscapes, abundant wildlife, and rural lifestyles. Our outings highlight the region’s natural beauty while also focusing on the working landscape: embracing land management practices that lead to roles as stewards of this precious place. We offer a summer full of active, educational day trips led by our team of naturalist guides.  And we offer several multi-day excursions in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Elderhostel (through Southern Oregon University).  Check back for our schedule of winter day trips, coming soon.

Northeast Oregon’s Wallowa County is home to…

. . .Hells Canyon, one of North America’s deepest river gorges.  Visit the edge of the exhilarating Snake River, or take in the expansive views from the canyon rim.  Marvel at the history of the hearty souls who have called this canyon home, from Nez Perce Indians to modern day ranchers.

. . .Eagle Cap Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in Oregon. Massive granite peaks and lake-filled basins dominate the glacially-carved upper reaches of the range.  Deer, elk, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, cougar, black bear, even wolves roam these spectacular mountains. A full vertical mile below, the mixed conifer forest gives way to the grasslands and prairie of the Wallowa Valley.

. . .Zumwalt Prairie, home of the largest concentration of nesting hawks in North America.  Discover a prairie ecosystem teaming with endemic and threatened plant species, several grassland sparrow species, and a variety of large mammals, including elk, bobcat, and bighorn sheep.  The Zumwalt Prairie is the largest intact bunchgrass prairie in North America.

. . .Wallowa Lake, at the foot of the The Eagle Cap Wilderness and the Wallowa Mountains.  One of the best examples of a glacially carved lake in the contiguous 48 states, Wallowa Lake is a playground for locals and visitors alike.  Witness an amazing variety of water fowl, as well as bald eagles and osprey, which come to feed on the lake’s Kokanee salmon and lake trout.  

. . .A relaxed rural lifestyle, and a community rich in tradition and character.  Fourth generation ranchers tend to their livestock; local artisans craft bronze sculptures that are displayed worldwide; and the Nez Perce, original inhabitants of this region, conduct their Tamkaliks Celebration here each July. 

"An excellent area to hike and explore with excellent guides!" Elderhostel participant