Wallowa Lake State Park and Tramway

The Wallowa Valley is the ancestral homeland of the Nimiipuu, the Nez Perce people, who have lived in this glacially carved bowl of forest, lake, and grassland for thousands of years. The valley and its lake are central to their history and remain sacred to them today. Their descendants are enrolled in the Nez Perce Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the story of the Wallowa band is woven into the names all around the lake.

At the north end of the lake, near the town of Joseph, is the gravesite of Old Chief Joseph, a Wallowa band leader who refused in the 1850s and 1860s to sign treaties that would have removed his people to a reservation in Idaho. He was first buried in the valley in 1871. After his original grave was disturbed by settlers, his remains were reburied at the present site, and a stone memorial was placed there in 1926 with the permission of the Nez Perce. The gravesite is now part of Nez Perce National Historical Park and a National Historic Landmark.

His son, known as Chief Joseph or Young Joseph, led the Wallowa band during the tragic events of 1877, when the U.S. government forced the Nez Perce off this land. Rather than surrender their homeland, several bands attempted a long journey toward Canada that ended in surrender not far short of the border. Chief Joseph is remembered for his eloquence and for the depth of his people's loss. Visitors who want to understand the valley are encouraged to seek out the interpretation offered by the Nez Perce themselves, including the nearby Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site along the moraine at the foot of the lake.

Wallowa Lake is a gift of the last Ice Age. During cold periods over the past couple million years, glaciers ground down out of the high Wallowas, carving the U-shaped valley now filled by the lake and scraping up enormous quantities of rock and soil as they went. When the ice pushed forward it shoved that debris ahead of and beside itself, and when it finally melted back, the piles were left behind as ridges called moraines.

Those moraines are what make the lake so distinctive. High lateral moraines line its long sides like natural embankments, and a terminal moraine curves across the north end, damming the water into the deep basin you see. Geologists regard the Wallowa Lake moraines as among the finest and most textbook-clear examples of glacial landforms in North America, which is part of why the valley draws people who study the Ice Age.

The Wallowas themselves are made largely of granite and old marine and volcanic rock, uplifted and then sculpted by ice into the sharp peaks and cirques of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. The tram to the top of Mount Howard is the easiest way to get a feel for that terrain, lifting you from the lakeshore to a high alpine summit in a matter of minutes.

Around the lake and campground, mule deer are a constant presence, often grazing right at the edge of the day-use areas, so it pays to give them room and to store food and coolers carefully. Ospreys and bald eagles hunt over the water, and in the surrounding forest you may see or hear woodpeckers, Steller's jays, and nutcrackers.

The higher country reached by the tram and the wilderness trails belongs to a different set of animals. Black bear, elk, and mountain goats range through the Wallowas, and marmots whistle from the rockslides near the summit. Bighorn sheep have been reintroduced to parts of the range. Most of these animals keep their distance, and a quiet, patient hiker has the best chance of a glimpse.

The forest shifts as you climb, from ponderosa pine and Douglas fir near the lake to subalpine fir and whitebark pine near the top of Mount Howard, where wind-stunted trees and open meadows take over. In summer those high meadows fill with wildflowers, one of the real rewards of taking the tram up and simply walking the short loops at the summit.

Summer is the heart of the season here, when the tram runs, the campground fills, and the lake is at its most inviting for paddling and picnicking. It is also the busiest time, so mornings are calmer, and the summit stays cool even on hot valley days.

Early fall is a quieter, beautiful window, with crisp air, thinning crowds, and larch and aspen turning gold in the surrounding country. It is a favorite time for hikers heading into the Eagle Cap Wilderness before the weather turns.

Winter transforms the valley into deep snow country, and the tram and most park facilities close for the season. The setting is stunning under snow, but access is limited and conditions can be severe, so a winter visit is for those prepared for cold-weather mountain travel.

Spring comes late at this elevation. The lower valley greens up while the peaks stay white, and the tram and campground generally reopen as the season warms. It is worth checking current conditions before making the long drive, since snow lingers in the high country well into the season.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.