Starting at Two-Pan Trailhead and heading straight into the Eagle Cap Wilderness offers over 500 miles of trails and 60 alpine lakes to explore. You could spend every summer weekend out here and still not scratch the surface of all there is to visit. For the peakbaggers, and for a challenging yet fun day trip, I would recommend a jaunt up to the crown jewel of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Eagle Cap itself, which is also a county high point. It is a mountain that can be seen from most other spots in the Wallowa Mountains, and since it is roughly in the center of the range when you stand on top, you can see all of the peaks and most of the lakes in all directions.

 

Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest 6.0 $169.96

 

From the summit, there will be no doubt about the moniker of “Alps of Oregon!” For a simple out and back, you can run straight up the Lostine Valley and then straight back down for a 19-mile, 4000-foot elevation gain round-trip. A fun alternative is to make a loop out of it with the Minam Lake Trail, which makes it only a couple of miles more at 21.5 miles and 4800 feet of gain.

 

Looking North from the trail just below Eagle Cap Summit.