Oregon Desert Guide: 70 Hikes

The Oregon Desert Guide uncovers short and long hikes in some of the most spectacular and little-known country in the lower 48. This is dry, difficult territory, much of it ignored by recreationists until recently. As befits a guide that highlights unusual landscapes, the trail information is presented in a rather unique way that addresses local environmental concerns in addition to the many scenic splendors to be found. Author Andy Kerr includes extensive notes (as well as a full chapter) on natural history, discusses the myriad ecological threats (livestock overgrazing, no surprise, is at the top of the list), and details the uncertain political future facing these mostly unprotected wildlands. Some of the gems here will be familiar to outdoors enthusiasts from the Northwest and beyond: Malheur, known to birdwatchers far and wide as an important staging ground during spring and fall migrations; Hart Mountain, a stronghold for North America's swiftest mammal, the pronghorn antelope; and Steens Mountain, a massive whalebacked monolith rising a mile above the surrounding landscape. Other places will be new even to many Oregon residents: the many hidden canyonlands of the Owyhee River drainage, for instance, or the increasingly rare sagebrush-steppe grasslands of the Columbia Plateau. One area noted, a place of remarkable beauty and ecological diversity, is Soda Mountain, where the Cascade and Klamath mountains are linked by the Siskiyou ridge--"east meets west meets north meets south"; since publication, President Clinton, exercising his executive power, has invoked the Antiquities Act to designate this area a national monument. Most other areas covered in the guide, however, have not received such protection, and the author does a public service by providing a conservation context for each hike; Northwesterners, after all, are all too aware of what happens to favorite hiking destinations that don't receive some form of legal protection.