Ooops, we did it again! We discovered a mostly unknown, hidden gem. We’re adding Joseph, Oregon to our short list of places most people have never heard of, that have delighted us with their small-town charm. (Also on this list: McCall, Idaho; Bigfork, Montana; Lanesboro, Minnesota; and Cedar Key, Florida.)
It’s been called America’s Little Switzerland, The Alps of Oregon, the Yosemite of the North and many other inspirational names, being surrounded by the Wallowa Whitman Forest and mountain peaks. We were here in summer, but the pictures from winter, with snow-capped peaks, are breathtaking, and mushers compete in the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race. Still, even in summer, the morning temps were in the 40s!
The Wallowa Valley, where Joseph is located, is at the end of a 50 mile road to nowhere … you’re not going to be “in the area” or find it “on the way” to anything. This remoteness gives it a laid-back, rural feel that can’t be matched, with generational farms dotting the roadside and free-range cattle glaring at you like, (channel Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino), “Get off my lawn!” The population of the entire county, including Joseph, Lostine, Enterprise and Wallowa, is only 7,300.
When the road ends at Wallowa Lake and the soaring mountains, the farmlands turn to wilderness … the Eagle Cap Wilderness, to be exact … Oregon’s largest, a 360,000-acre bonanza of alpine meadows, glacial lakes and tall trees. Here, there are 17 named mountains that tower above 9,000′.
Wallowa Lake State Park is tucked away at the south end of a deep 3.7-mile long glacial lake, with the mountains as a backdrop. Wallowa Lake was formed by a great river of ice that flowed out of the Wallowa Mountains 12,000-40,000 years ago. The steep sides of dirt and rock debris called “moraines” are some of the best preserved examples of this type of glacier movement anywhere in the U.S. Here, their annual Fourth of July event called “Shake the Lake” send fireworks high into the sky over these waters.
For a birds-eye view of Wallowa Lake and the surrounding rural areas, take one of the 19 cars up the Wallowa Tramway on a 15-minutes ride up-up-up Mt. Howard to 8,100 feet — and don’t forget your puffy jacket! This is a must-do in this area!
Unlike many trams, this one wasn’t built for skiing, but rather just for the vistas. At the time it was built in 1970, this was the steepest four-person gondola in all of North America. Parts of Idaho, Washington and Oregon can all be seen from the summit.
In every direction are views of the valley below, mountains flanked by glacial cirques, canyons, the Eagle Cap Wilderness and the Seven Devils Mountains in Idaho.
There are a few miles of moderate hiking trails leading you around the mountain top, and if you’re lucky, paragliders may be leaping off the side of a perfectly good mountain during your visit.
At the top, a small patio restaurant called the (what else?) Summit Grill serves local Terminal Gravity beers, wine and a variety of lunches as it basks in its title of “highest restaurant in the Pacific Northwest.”
Because this is wilderness, and because it is mountains, most of the nearby hiking trails are difficult. We opted for one of the few moderate-level hikes, the Lower Falls and West Fork Wallowa Spur Loop.
The following day, in an ill-fated spate of over-optimism, we embarked on a journey to the Tenderfoot Trail. The journey included 22 miles plus an additional 3 miles on one of the worst, washboard, rock-strewn 4WD road we’ve ever traversed.
We then ended up hiking a trail that was 100% through burned forests. We kept waiting to emerge to from the burn scars, and just, never. did. The forest was starting to recover, but not really. It should have been telling that we were the ONLY people on this trail for the four full hours.
The multiple water crossings (both formal and informal), however, were a ton of fun for us and for Finn.
The wildflowers bursting forth from the blackened tree hulls suggested better times ahead … someday. And the romantic picnic on a fallen log made it all worth it.
The town of Joseph is named for Old Chief Joseph, who is not to be confused with his son, New Chief Joseph. He was the leader of the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce Indian Tribe, and is famous for refusing to sign the “Steal Treaty” in 1863, which reduced their reservation by 90% and gave all the Wallowa country to the U.S. They eventually were driven toward freedom in Canada.
Before he died in 1871, he told his son to defend his homeland and people by saying, “My son, never forget my dying words, this country holds your father’s body. Never sell the bones of your father and mother.” His gravesite is located here and managed by the National Park Service, and “Chief Joseph Days” during the last full week in July celebrates him with a rodeo, parade, contests and more, including a “Friendship Feast” with descendants of the Nez Perce tribe.
Joseph’s flower-lined Main Street is a very pretty, artsy place. Even our humble RV park had a sculpture in the middle of the driveway.
Main Street is dotted with a series of 18 life-size (or bigger) bronze sculptures.
Philip liked the winsome lass in the flowing dress, while I claimed the shirtless buff cowboy who also happens to be a dog-lover, for my very own. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”
For a town of only 1,100, downtown has a surprising number of bars, restaurants and adorable shops.
The local celebrity (though not the Mayor …. yet) is Shadow, a real live horse hanging out next to the fly fishing shop. His owner rides him 7 miles to work every day.
Another fun thing to do here is to take a spin with Joseph Branch Rail Riders. Old railroad tracks have been fitted with special 2- or 4-person “cars” that you pedal (or some have electric assist) for a fun way to ride the rails. Philip’s back surgery of just three months ago precluded us for partaking here, but we have done so in other places, and it’s a lot of fun.
By far, our favorite thing we did in Joseph was a behind-the-scenes tour of Valley Bronze, where we gained a better understanding of the multi-step, complicated bronze casting process. To see how an artist’s masterpiece gets transformed into metal via 12 complicated processes was truly astounding, and we now have a better appreciation for the $$ price tags that frequently adorn bronze sculptures in art galleries.
Valley Bronze has been around since 1982, and the grandson of the founders was our (excellent!) tour guide, patiently enduring a barrage of questions and enthusiastically teaching us everything he knows.
Valley Bronze is a nationwide superstar in the art-bronze foundry business, especially since the quantity of those went from 360 to 36 in the 2007 Great Recession. They have done mega-projects around the world, including the horses bursting through the Berlin Wall, all of the huge bronze wreaths and stars at the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC; and the bulls running in front of the Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium, and other sports venues. Everywhere here, true artisans at work.
There are a lot of details involved in creating perfection in artwork that might sell for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. This collectible piece will probably ultimately sell for $40,000! Yikes!
Unlike many foundries, Valley Bronze allows the artists who employ them to keep the mold from their projects, meaning they can do further “runs” and create multiples of any art piece to be distributed around the country or the world.
The oversized piece we loved the most, and unsuccessfully tried to sneak out the back door, looks like wood twigs … but it’s bronze! AHHH-MAZING!!! The artist made it for a family member, so presumably at a discount, but generally a piece like this would go for $200,000 or more.
Bonus content! Two more great blog posts about Joseph by our RV friends, Laurel and Eric, who pointed us here in the first place!
Museums, distilleries, farmers markets, horseback riding and more make this a really fun destination. Wallowa County and Joseph can be a little hard to get to, but we found it definitely worth the trip, and think you might, too!
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