Oregon Hiking | Eagle Cap Wilderness | Wallowa Mountains

This is a documentary of our six day backpacking trip through the Eagle Cap Wilderness located in the Wallowa Mountains near Joseph, Oregon. We hiked from 8/8/18 to 8/13/18.
0:57 - Day 1 - Wallowa Lake Trailhead to Glacier Lake
6:25 - Day 2 - Prospect Lake Day Hike
16:02 - Day 3 - Glacier Lake to Eagle Cap Mountain
24:52 - Day 4 - Eagle Cap Mountain to Six Mile Meadow
32:35 - Day 5 - Six Mile Meadow to Ice Lake to The Matterhorn
43:16 - Day 6 - Ice Lake to The Embers Brewhouse
Instagram @ben_hikes
Navajo Night by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors and U.S. Geological Survey
#hiking #backpacking #oregon

[@jeffreycarman2185]

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. The Wallowas are such an amazing and unique place. I need to plan to get back up there sooner rather than later.

[@OregonPanoramas]

What a wonderful production! I hiked there as a boy scout in 1972. 50 miles over a week. Im 62 now and I have to get back there. I will use your top notch video to seek my buddies on this hike. Thanks so much. Great music too!

[@leapheap6837]

What an adventure. I live in Oregon as well. Thanks for sharing.

[@debracarriere9051]

Just got back from a horse pack in the Eagle Cap....Kudos to you for using your own legs up up there!

[@artashby3735]

I back packed in the Eagle Cap Wilderness four times on 8 day 50+ mile trips back in the 90s. Brought back so many wonderful memories of places I saw then. Well done!

[@PerfDayToday]

Epic trip, great video, crazy that you got to fly over it going home. Bucket list. Best vid on The Wallowas I have seen!

[@benhikes]

Crazy lucky to get that aerial footage on the way home. Thanks!

[@skyybluu3118]

Great video thank you 👍🏻

[@inigougarte7909]

I am from the Basque Country...just to work in East Eagle...long ago..love that country and its people..have done many hikes and backpack treks and hikes in the Wallowas..this video shows the majesty of the highs ,,awesome the footage,comments, music...the best for me that i have watched..thanks a lot..i have really enjoyed it..ESKERRIKASKO..

[@Powernana12]

Holy smokes! I’ve lived in Oregon over 30 years and did not realize the beauty that was hidden in my own backyard! Hopefully my friends and I will be able to backpack that area next season. Thank you so much for making this video!

[@Wangjanglin_mo]

I’ve watched a ton of garbage backpacking videos on youtube so I didn’t have high hopes for this but y’all killed it. Well edited, engaging, funny. Did a great job capturing the landscape as well.

[@SoloSchmitty]

Very nice!

[@mountainshadowart2103]

OMG to gold pan up there on the saddle with the white quartz vein... :) Beautiful area. Thanks for showing it to those of us who aren't able to hike that far. The views of the alpenglow from above were AMAZING!

[@markbenedict3279]

I've hiked the Lostine valley and Eagle Cap trails and this is one of the best videos I've ever seen, Thanks

[@juanjaimescheib5657]

I am from Mexico and I was in the area in 1981 as part of an exchange program(baker,or), I was 11 then, we took a trip for 6 days probably one of my top 3 experiences in my life and after that I love hiking , I was too little to remember the places but you transported me to that trip, pretty much some places we hiked , it was a fantastic documentary you did and more fantastic the friendship, is very hard to find that kind of chemistry among travel friends, this trip is in my bucket list, hope one day I can do it with my kids.

[@benhikes]

Great story Juan. Good luck making it back to the Wallowas.

[@fastbaxter3840]

As someone who mainly hikes in the mid-west and south east, I really need to get out west. I really hadn't considered Oregon as a place with these kinds of views!

[@chriswiseman5143]

Oregon has a lot of amazing backpacking. The Wallowas are probably the best in my opinion. The Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho are similar to this as well. These 2 ranges are my favorite places in the world so far.

[@theexplorer7139]

I love Oregon's wilderness. It's very underrated. Check out mt Jefferson wilderness when you get a chance.

[@frankblangeard8865]

At 39:36 the view is toward the summit of the Matterhorn characterized by the steep white face. To the left of the Matterhorn is Peak 9775 and further along that ridge in the distance is Sacajawea Peak.

[@garyji]

A really well done documentary of your trip. It brought back many glowing memories of backpacking in Eagle Cap/Wallowa in 2017. You really captured the beauty and scale of the area, which is not easy to do. Some of those summit pan shots got me spinning and woozy. Really freakish to see old video of your earlier trip with so much snow in July. Yikes! Great to see the easy comfort and camaraderie of men who've been friends and trail buddies for so many years. Happy trails.

[@Hikingindepth]

Looked like a great week on top of Oregon. I really love that area and hope it continues to be preserved for its outstanding beauty.

[@troykallister5138]

STUNNING.... That appeared to be a truly amazing backpacking trip. Just..EPIC! Great display of your documentary talents also. 🙂😎 Videography, music choice, commentary, editing...all spot on and tell a great story. I learn and be inspired by documentaries like yours to fulfill my dream trip someday. Awesome and thanks for sharing 😎

[@TheGreenarrow88]

Beautiful. Eager to hit the trails myself.

[@lauriebeard1537]

What a cool and demanding hike, thank you for making this, it was fun sharing your journey albeit virtually! I want to check out Joseph and Wallowa Lake by next year!

[@hikerstl]

Really nice video of a place I only saw once back in the early 90's. I can't even remember why we chose to go there, I guess I read about it somewhere. We had already done trips that summer vacation in the Mount Hood and Jefferson areas, but I remember Eagle Cap being my favorite that summer. Thanks for reminding me how beautiful that area is.

[@mikemilo6693]

Great video! Thanks for posting. I hope to do most of that route next year.

[@ozarksandbeyond4416]

What a gorgeous area. Nice job!!!

[@msm98908]

Week long trip here coming this September. Can not wait. Looks like you guys had an epic trip. Beautiful shots!

[@benhikes]

September is the time to go!

[@liamboggs]

Loving it boys!

[@ghsmith76]

Great video which has forced me to consider inserting a trip to the Eagle Cap Shoulder on my way out to Colorado in early August. Your video allowed me to return to the amazing Wallowas. It is good that they are so rugged or we would have far too many visitors. Glacier Lake is one of my all time favorites places on earth.

[@OneFibroTwin]

First rate work Ben. Thanks for sharing.

[@MosquitoFood]

5/5 - Y'all seriously nailed this one!

[@lilywhite1065]

You did a wonderful job with the footage and editing! What a great portrayal of the route! :)

[@jakebucy930]

Nice video. I'm heading there this summer at the end of July. This video is getting me super-excited!

[@stargypsysoul604]

Glad you made it out to Oregon! And thanks for sharing our beauty! Not everyone does.

[@DamonHart]

Great video. I've been there twice and wanting to go back

[@raythompson6151]

Way cool adventure

[@RDMARTIN1401]

Camera man has a great eye ❤

[@SeekingLost]

Reminds me of the sawtooths in Idaho. Been wanting to get out here for a while now. Awesome video. Subbed!

[@benhikes]

Thanks! We've actually been talking about doing a trip in the Sawtooths. Looks like an awesome place to backpack.

[@theexplorer7139]

Sawtooth? Been hearing about that region.

[@uppertributaries]

Cool video. Heading there this week for the loop. I'm surprised you all had shorts on.

[@benhikes]

We had record high temps. I also had pants, baselayers, and plenty of sunscreen. Have a good hike!

[@NordofWar]

Wow, great video!! I live in Oregon definitely want to check it out now

[@TOMinPDX]

What a great video! Been watching a lot of backpacking vids recently & wanted to see what the Wallowas are like as I haven't been hiking in eastern Oregon although I have done a lot of multi-day river trips. The map you show at around 27:30 is fantastic. I've searched around on OpensSreetMaps & USGS but I can't find anything that is like the map you have. Where can I find those maps? Thanks!

[@benhikes]

The maps are from Caltopo.

[@GriffinK10]

It seems as though this range has been forgotten by most people in the pnw.

[@benhikes]

That's OK.

[@GriffinK10]

Ben Hikes Yeah more for us right?

[@amyuberhaag9499]

Headed here in August with a great group of friends....can't wait. Did you fly into Boise? We are coming from Michigan.Can't wait to share this video with my co workers.

[@benhikes]

We flew into Portland but Boise is a little closer I think. Have a great trip!

[@certifiedpet]

You found Chippie!!!!

[@thebaguette2892]

ive gone too razz lake, and echo lake on 2 different trips, these mountains are my heaven!

[@benhikes]

Never been to those lakes. They look off the beaten path which I like.

[@thebaguette2892]

@@benhikes they are a bit yeah. From what I remember because it's been awhile. Echo lake was much harder to reach then razz lake was. I'm planning on taking a trip this summer too a few of the places you all went too.

[@davidhawkins9782]

@@benhikes mt.view high school. Bend ?

[@benhikes]

@@davidhawkins9782 I'm from Indiana.

[@davidhawkins9782]

@@benhikes ok,you looked like a n old friend of mine from Oregon 👍

[@samsmith3025]

What were the red moving things in the water?

[@hagpie9199]

Hey Ben, could you link me the route you took? Looks like an awesome trip!

[@benhikes]

Day 1 - www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/9ec21f56-a076-4849-b635-89d3a128663a/ Day 2 - www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/4fd868ca-7d5a-4aad-b158-72ff8cdf46bb/ Day 3 - www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/a42c8b00-f167-480b-bbe9-0420f058dbfc/ Day 4 (we actually ended up camping past Horseshoe Lake near 6 Mile Meadow) - www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/e5ecb76b-72fa-41d8-9e12-b1cd8c29493f/ Day 5 (we left this morning from 6 Mile Meadow) - www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/3aec6a35-982a-45ef-b64d-d1cc52f4713e/ Day 6 - www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/9d463939-9e0d-433c-97a7-62d88f93c07f/

[@hagpie9199]

Ben Hikes Thank you so much!

[@vstg0054]

My wife asks: why didn't you leave your packs at the bottom before summiting the Matterhorn?

[@benhikes]

It was my only way to carry water, snacks, first aid, and jacket. We left everything else at camp.

[@vstg0054]

@@benhikes that's what we thought - you used them as day packs

[@greygardens81]

22:20 - holy crap

[@gordonhesse7200]

Is that thee Dennis Gage?

[@benhikes]

Thee Dennis Gage with thee mad stache.

[@MattCookOregon]

Amazing area. Do you have a trail guide or map of this trip?

[@benhikes]

Check out "The Wallowas" maps from www.greentrailsmaps.com/ and the "Hiking Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness" book on Amazon.

[@drewmeisinger4131]

Ben Hikes is the map on the video from “hiking Oregon’s Eagle cap”?

[@benhikes]

@@drewmeisinger4131 No those are from Caltopo.com but I used the Green Trails map to plan the trip. I also used Gaia GPS app.

[@drewmeisinger4131]

Ben Hikes thanks! My family actually has property in Joseph and I was up there every summer as a kid. I live near Louisville KY now but want to go backpacking up in Eagle Cap soon! Loved the video!

[@MattCookOregon]

@@drewmeisinger4131 wat

[@LasVegasGolfGods]

That’s so crazy this was my first trail in when I started. 6 mile is where I got and stopped too. Then took off my next time from there!! These mountains are awesome! Did you have any sort of self defense for predictors when you went there? I didn’t have any with me when I went and people where saying that’s not the smartest thing to do!

[@twochordcool]

Pretty amazing...but as someone that tries to go out west for backpacking every year I don't know that I'll ever make it there...Banff, Jasper, Robson, Assiniboine, Glacier NP (US), Bob Marshall Wilderness, Yellowstone, Wind River, Beartooth Absaroka, Olympic...too many other places I see myself going to first (epic scenery, bigger wilderness...epic wildlife). Oregon had such potential but I guess the loggers and developers won the battle - largest wilderness area only 350,000 acres. Puny by western standards.

[@edens209]

I just wish the people that would do these videos would stop playing music, and let us hear natures music like the wind traveling through the trees and leaves and the sound of water and the birds chirping that is all part of the experience. But to each it's own I suppose