Malheur County High Point Trip Report
BM Stevenson (8,027 ft)
Date: August 1998
Author: Ken Jones
The highest bump for a long way around, but doesn't do so much on the
prominence scale. We refer to it in the family as "the long dirt road drive
where we scared up three bucks near the summit" - deer, not money.
This one is almost all approach, the hike is trivial. The BLM's Vale
District Recreation Guide (basically, a 1:100000 scale map with updated
roads) is helpful.
From U.S. 95 about 15 miles north of the state line take road 6302-0-OO
which heads west toward the Oregon Canyon Mountains. It is not well signed.
Here's our road log, with some minor forks ignored:
0.0 U.S. 95
2.7 fork to Oregon Canyon Ranch, keep right
8.2 another fork to ranch, go right
9.6 turn left, towards ridge
10.5 continue straight toward ridge, ignore right fork
12.5 pass water tank on hillside
14.4 ridgetop junction, keep left (stay high)
15.6 keep left (stay high)
16.0 keep left (stay high)
19.0 keep left (stay high)
22.2 stay on main road
23.7 keep left on ridge road
24.7 keep left on ridge road
26.4 go left at intersection, you're getting close
29.9 we parked here, where road drops steeply down to N/NE
Walk through open terrain scattered with glittering obsidian, crossing fence
line, about 1/4 mile to the summit and benchmark.