Wallowa Tram Summer Schedule

[Buster Highmen]

One of the most amazing lift resources in the US has got to be the Wallowa Lake Tram:3700 feet elevation gain. No longer open in the winter, the summer season will start towards the end of May.

http://www.wallowalaketramway.com/Operation08.pdf

Given the snowpack this year, there will be good skiing down the back (N.E.) side into June. You'll likley have to skin or boot back up to catch the lift down, but there's a chance the snowline will stay low enough to ski down close to the McCully snopark 3000+ feet below.

There's tons of camping and motels in the area. Plus, Wallowa Lake has some huge rainbows and lake trout that can make for nicely rounding out a day.

Check it out.

And if possible, express interest in winter operations. It's a great place.

[PNWbrit]

Drive time from Seattle?

[Hugh Conway]

3.5 weeks away? Hmmmm

[Buster Highmen]

Drive time from Seattle?

7 hours.

(edit) and you __have__ to eat at the Terminal Gravity Brewpub in Enterprise.

[PNWbrit]

7 hours.

Real time or turbo time?

(edit) and you __have__ to eat at the Terminal Gravity Brewpub in Enterprise.

Sounds like my kind of place. Whats with this whole "you" business?

[Buster Highmen]

Real time or turbo time?

OK, it's more like 6.5 in my car. Another egregious consumption.

Sounds like my kind of place. Whats with this whole "you" business?

Perhaps I can lever the clan out that way towards the end of May or so...

[SUPERIOR]

Anybody been on this in the last decade? I'm going to be in Boise next weekend, and it's a 4-5 hour drive I believe.
Why the hell isn't this developed for skiing? It looks like the terrain would be great - lift, not so much

[Buster Highmen]

The tram won't be open next weekend:
http://wallowalaketramway.com/inform...ting-calendar/ .

You can access the best skiing by going up to the McCully snowpark, if the road is open, and touring up and a little to climbers right to get to the glades on the E/NE side of Mt. Howard. There's an old jeep road to follow.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mo...179123!5m1!1e4

[snojones]

For a few years, I used to work in that area. I was always thinking Mt Howard should service skiers. I heard a rumor that they tried to organize a ski patrol and patrolers kept getting injured while attempting to train with sleds on that terrain. The story is that they just decided that the terrain is just to dangerous to open to public skiing.

However the Wallowas are a magnificent back country destination, if you climb under your own steam. I skied up and camped in that back country several times and was simply in awe the entire time! Keep in mind that this is a MAJOR AVI area, with huge peaks that rise steep from the valley floors. Heard that a Spring avalanche actually dammed Huricane Creek for some time. Saw a lot of slide debris, some running for miles (and even up hill for some distance). So be aware of what it high above you and pick you time carefully. If you like huge country, you will love the Wallowas!

[Game Over]

I have never been. Really got to get over there this summer.

Also- isn't that a gondy and not a tram?

[wordbird]

The tram won't be open next weekend:
http://wallowalaketramway.com/inform...ting-calendar/ .

You can access the best skiing by going up to the McCully snowpark, if the road is open, and touring up and a little to climbers right to get to the glades on the E/NE side of Mt. Howard. There's an old jeep road to follow.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mo...179123!5m1!1e4

Interesting. How much of a bushwhack is it to get from the gully's up to the jeep road. Also can you park on the jeep road?

[irratator]

For a few years, I used to work in that area. I was always thinking Mt Howard should service skiers. I heard a rumor that they tried to organize a ski patrol and patrolers kept getting injured while attempting to train with sleds on that terrain. The story is that they just decided that the terrain is just to dangerous to open to public skiing.

However the Wallowas are a magnificent back country destination, if you climb under your own steam. I skied up and camped in that back country several times and was simply in awe the entire time! Keep in mind that this is a MAJOR AVI area, with huge peaks that rise steep from the valley floors. Heard that a Spring avalanche actually dammed Huricane Creek for some time. Saw a lot of slide debris, some running for miles (and even up hill for some distance). So be aware of what it high above you and pick you time carefully. If you like huge country, you will love the Wallowas!

Fairly dramatic narative.

[Ed el Loco]

I was there 3 or 4 years ago. There were two guys with touring gear down loading on the gondola after skiing some of the remaining snow fields. Looked like a fun way to get some late season touring in with out carrying your skis up a bunch of elevation on dirt.

[Buster Highmen]

Interesting. How much of a bushwhack is it to get from the gully's up to the jeep road. Also can you park on the jeep road?

There's no real bushwacking, the McCully snowpark is where the Jeep road is closed. I don't know if there's a skin track this year.

The two main points of access for touring are the McCully and Salt Creek snowparks which are usually plowed.

McCully gives access to both the backside of Mt. Howard and the bigger McCully cirque on the E/NE side of Aneroid Peak. The McCully skin track kind of goes to the left, more due South whereas to get to the backside of Mt Howard, one bears more right at the snowpark.

Salt Creek gives access to the Wing Ridge area.

Both should have good coverage this year into mid May.

If someone had the drive and savoir faire to convince the tram owners and the FS, there's a great opportunity to run a Silverton style pickup from the McCully snowpark there. 3000 vertical feet of lift served good skiing is going to waste.

[wordbird]

There's no real bushwacking, the McCully snowpark is where the Jeep road is closed. I don't know if there's a skin track this year.

The two main points of access for touring are the McCully and Salt Creek snowparks which are usually plowed.

McCully gives access to both the backside of Mt. Howard and the bigger McCully cirque on the E/NE side of Aneroid Peak. The McCully skin track kind of goes to the left, more due South whereas to get to the backside of Mt Howard, one bears more right at the snowpark.

Salt Creek gives access to the Wing Ridge area.

Both should have good coverage this year into mid May.

If someone had the drive and savoir faire to convince the tram owners and the FS, there's a great opportunity to run a Silverton style pickup from the McCully snowpark there. 3000 vertical feet of lift served good skiing is going to waste.

I'm thinking about going up there for Memorial day weekend, and at least getting one other car involved for shuttles+increased lap efficiency. What do you think would the best bet for that? We would probably also tour either wing ridge on tuesday or something on Upper Lostine road if it looks filled in, that looks a lot more fun than the wing ridge area.

[Buster Highmen]

I'm thinking about going up there for Memorial day weekend, and at least getting one other car involved for shuttles+increased lap efficiency. What do you think would the best bet for that? We would probably also tour either wing ridge on tuesday or something on Upper Lostine road if it looks filled in, that looks a lot more fun than the wing ridge area.

I don't know what the coverage is or will be on the tram backside so getting down to the McCully snowpark might involve a bit of walking. I

It's relatively easy to tour from the tram over to Aneroid which typically holds snow into July. Most of that snowfield faces North, but it's mellow meadowskipping. There's interesting terrain off the East side there.

Here's a link to the Wallowa Avalanche Center which may have some info on snowpack: https://www.wallowaavalanchecenter.org/

more info on Salt Creek snowpark, a bit further East and South than McCully snowpark:
https://www.lagranderide.com/snow/ba...-joseph-oregon

Wing Ridge has some great bowls off it that have a good pitch. If you're looking for couloirs, East side of Aneroid shoulder down into McCully Basin has more thrills.

I don't know the Lostine Road area at all other than some short hikes we've done and fishing in the upper Lostine River.