Oregon’s Blue Mountains are uplift mountains located in Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington. This mountain range consists of several subranges and is a part of the larger Columbia River Plateau. A friend of mine and I had scheduled an attempt of Matterhorn Peak in the Jarbidge Mountains of Northeast Nevada for early June. Since my travel route passed through Oregon’s Blue Mountains I decided to visit several prominence peaks there on my way out and back to Northeast Nevada. Due to the snow and high water conditions in the Jarbidge Mountains visiting prominence peaks in the Blue Mountains proved to be the highlight of my trip.
Big Lookout Mountain
Big Lookout Mountain from Lookout Mountain Road
I began my trip Wednesday June 8 by driving east from Bend through Baker City onto I-84. At Exit 338 I left I-84 and drove north on the Lookout Mountain Road towards Big Lookout Mountain. Once off I-84 the views were all new to me and I enjoyed the 15 miles of good gravel road climbing up ridges into the forest. Eventually I found the access road leading to the summit of Big Lookout Mountain and parked nearby.
