In mid September I hiked and scrambled up Red Mountain and Crown Point in the Elkhorn Mountains of NE Oregon. I accessed these Elkhorn Range Peaks from the east and west side of the Range. I felt renewed by the experience. We are blessed with many diverse and scenic destinations to explore in Oregon.

On September 16 I drove from Bend to Baker City. I checked in with the Forest Service there about road conditions along the North Powder River. This is a popular 4WD route, though reportedly quite rocky.

The people I spoke to at the Forest Service were 4-wheelers, themselves. They described driving through the flooded road with water up to the windows. They cautioned that there might still be some flooding on the road. I left expecting an adventure.

I drove up FSR 7301 as far as a roomy and grassy hunters’ camp at 5520 foot elevation, where I parked and camped for the night. My GPS receiver suggested this spot was about 2 miles short of the Red Mountain Lake Trailhead. But the rocks on the road ahead were large and required high clearance. The steep and narrow road did not provide much room to maneuver around and over them. My campsite had good access to the North Powder River. I enjoyed a pleasant evening and night there.

The next morning, September 17, I continued hiking up FSR 7301 along the North Power River. The Red Mountain Lake Trailhead was about 2.5 miles beyond my campsite. I missed the trailhead on my first pass up the road.

Farther up the road I found a bow hunter camped beside the road. He helpfully walked me back to the trailhead. We reached the trailhead by following an unmarked road leading left (facing up river) from FSR 7301 towards the river.

From the river’s edge I could see the trail on the other side of the narrow river. I crossed the river on downed timber slightly up river. I followed the trail up to Red Mountain Lake. This lake was once known as “Green Lake”. The green color of the lake explained why it was called that.

Red Mountain rose 1800 feet above Red Mountain Lake and faced me across the lake. It appeared the ridge line to the right (west) of the lake provided better and more direct access. So that is the route I took, following unmaintained boot tracks and game trails where I could find them. I scrambled over rock slides near the summit.

I enjoyed the summit views, identifying the peaks I had previously climbed in the Elkhorn Mountains. Twin Mountain, nearby to the northeast, was my next peak destination; I studied possible access routes to it.

I descended the same route to the forest road, then returned to thank the bow hunter for his help. I returned to my Jeep. As I drove out on FSR 7301 I looked for good access roads to Twin Mountain. But I found no obvious trail or consistently open country to hike through. After leaving the forest road I turned north and camped at the Dutch Flat Creek Trailhead for the night.

The next morning, September 18, I began hiking west on Dutch Flat Creek Trail. As I climbed higher I looked for a good creek crossing and access to Twin Mountain. When the trail reached Dutch Flat Creek the creek was far below the trail. Steep slopes lead down to the creek and up the other side. I continued up the trail looking for open forest with an easier creek crossing. Instead the trail seemed to move gradually away from the creek. Twin Mountain receded; the forest was dense with much downed timber.

I decided I did not want to try to summit Twin Mountain from that side and returned to the trailhead. Next time I will try to summit Twin Mountain from the Elkhorn Crest Trail and Dutch Flat Lake.

I left the Dutch Flat Creek Trailhead. For future reference I explored a forest access road up Pine Creek near Baker City. Then I drove through Sumpter and towards Granite. At about 11 miles from Sumpter I turned right onto FSR 7370. From here I followed Caleb Morris’s excellent directions to reach the Mount Ireland Lookout Trailhead. Here I parked and camped for the evening.

My goal the next day, September 19, was to hike Crown Point east of Mount Ireland. I followed the Mount Ireland Lookout Trail to the east ridge of Mount Ireland. From this point the trail heads up the ridge to reach the lookout.

Instead I made a descending traverse northwest through forest to a plateau at about 7400 feet near Ireland Spring. From here I traversed north upward around the east side of Peak 8022. From the east side of Peak 9022 I had a good view of Crown Point. I descended to the south ridge of Crown Point and climbed the ridge to the summit.

The weather was ideal. The views of the Elkhorn Crest from Crown Point were excellent. I enjoyed identifying the several peaks I have visited and the two I have remaining. On my return I made a side trip to summit Peak 8022. Then I retraced my route to the trail and out to the trailhead.

I enjoyed my hikes in the Elkhorn Mountains. Now I have firmer plans on how to approach two more Elkhorn peaks: Twin Mountain and Cougar Pond SW Peak.