The Best of Eastern Oregon

The Best of Eastern Oregon

Bend, Oregon, is a van life hotspot.  With ample National Forest camping, just a few minutes’ drive from an adventure-driven town.  It’s easy to get sucked into the Bend, Oregon, vanlife vortex.  This is a great place to begin your Eastern Oregon road trip adventure.  There’s plenty to do in the Bend area and we have covered that in other blogs that you can see here.  Bend is also a great place to stock up on supplies and take care of all your errands before you embark on a journey that few van lifers have taken.  

This Road trip will take you through obscure Eastern Oregon terrain, from geothermal calderas, hot springs, giant holes in the earth, and ancient dry lake beds. This is a road trip off the beaten path that you will not want to miss.  

Newberry Volcano - Hot Springs and Camping

The Newberry Volcano is basically a mini Crater Lake with a fraction of the tourists.  You’ll find plenty to do at this National Volcanic Monument.  While we were here, we hiked along the north shore of Paulina Lake to Paulina Lake Hot Springs.  These were some pretty sweet primitive hot springs on the shore of the lake.  We were planning on paddling our SUP out to the hot springs, but the water was too rough for paddling. But, taking a watercraft to the springs is always an option.  We only spent the day here, but if you wanted to there is a very nice campsite on the Eastern shore of Paulina Lake.  Also, the Monument has plenty of hiking; you can also drive up to the top of Paulina Peak for an amazing view of the crater.  

La Pine - Hole In the Ground/Free Camping

Drive South on the 97 through La Pine, Oregon, and make a right turn onto HWY 31 and head east.  You are now entering The Lonely Oregon Outback.  There’s not much to see out here but there’s plenty of solitude.  Drive a few miles down HWY 31 to the Hole in the Gound, while it’s just honestly a massive hole in the earth caused by a volcanic explosion.  The road in is rough but it’s not terrible and we’ve seen tons of vehicles make it up here.  This is also the location of Descend on Bend, a large van gathering.  We love this National Forest campsite and since we’ve been here a few times, we can tell you this is the best place for camping around the rim (43.403982, -121.200021).  We really enjoy the peace and quiet out here in the Oregon Outback and the night sky is just amazing since there is no light pollution around. 

Heart Mountain Antelope Refuge - Hot Springs/Free Camping

When you are on the road and you get advice from the older retiree folks, well you better take it! Because they know what’s up.  We had a hot tip at our Bend campsite from our good friend @yoterryh to check out Heart Mountain and we are so glad we jumped on this adventure.  The drive up to Heart Mountain is stunning and a majority of this journey is on gravel and dirt roads. You better fuel up in Paisley because you are about to get very remote and there are no services past Plush, OR. The Heart Mountain Camp Ground is way out there and I’m going to leave it up to the adventurous van lifer that you are to find this place yourself.  I’ll let you know that there is a pretty nice free campsite with drop toilets and fire rings and an awesome hot springs with a rock shelter and also a primitive hot spring out in the field.  We really had an amazing time getting here it was such a beautiful drive and we saw plenty of antelope. We will also note, it snowed on us in June.  This is a very special place and is rarely visited by others.  

Alvord Desert - Dry Lake Bed/ Free Camping

Our last stop on our obscure Eastern Oregon adventure was also recommended by @yoterryh and others, The Alvord Desert.  Getting here from Heart Mountain requires quite a bit of gravel and dirt road driving. So, we recommend lowering your tire pressure, once you hit the gravel on the way to Heart Mountain because you will drive a few hours on gravel from here on out.  The Alvord desert is a massive dry lake bed that is situated under the Steens Mountains, which makes it even more of a unique landscape.  When we visited the mountains were still snow-capped,  it was interesting seeing the snow-capped mountains while you were down on the desert floor.  It’s really a magical place.  We drove far enough away from anyone and enjoyed a very secluded campsite out on the desert.  Make sure you stake everything down because when the winds pick up they can really take your campsite with them.  We also recommend bikes to cruise around the “playa” and imagine you are at Burning Man.  The silence was amazing and the night skies were some of the best we’ve seen in America.  We highly recommend making the journey to the Alford Desert to experience true solitude.  

From the Alford Desert, we headed up to Boise, Idaho, to supply up and continue the journey.  From here, we will note there is still quite a bit of gravel and dirt roads to go. So, you’ll want to air down those tires for a smoother ride, we recommend keeping them lower.  There are plenty of stations once you hit the pavement to fill up the tire pressure.  

5 Best Day Hikes in Grand Teton National Park

5 Best Day Hikes in Grand Teton National Park

Wow!  What more can you say when you first lay your eyeballs on the Grand Tetons?  This jaw-dropping mountain range juts straight up to the heavens at 13,775 Feet and is the second tallest mountain range in Wyoming.  You’ll also notice that the mountains here are incredibly steep and rocky.  Hiking and climbing here are not for the faint of heart.  Most trails in this park have big vertical climbs that vary from never-ending switchbacks to rocky scrambles, but every step is worth its weight when you reach your destinations amongst craggy peaks teeming with wildlife.  We spent a lot of time at this park, and it was hard to leave, not only because it’s so beautiful but also because our bodies were so beat from hiking over 50+ miles of some of the steepest terrain we've encountered.  If you have never been to the Tetons and want to know the best hikes, here are a few of our favorites.  

****You will want to carry Bear Mace. We encountered more bears in the Tetons than anywhere else we have ever been!! 

***Jenny Lake shuttle hot tip

***On a few of these hikes, you will want to take the Jenny Lake shuttle to the Cascade Canyon trailhead.  While this is not required, it will save you about 5 miles (roundtrip) of hiking around Jenny Lake.  The pro tip here is to catch the first boat shuttle at 7 in the morning for $5 per person; otherwise, it’s around $18! 

Lake Solitude (16 Miles, Hard)

Lake Solitude starts from the Cascade Canyon trail, a moderate trail up a canyon that ends at a split.  Most people hike up Cascade Canyon 4 miles to the end and back down to the boat dock.  Cascade Canyon is a beautiful hike on its own, and you can expect to come across plenty of wildlife along the way. We saw Moose, Marmots, and Bears.  If you are up to the challenge, you can continue the hike up to Lake Solitude, which adds another 8 miles round trip and the journey.  From the boat dock at Jenny Lake, you will climb 2,640 feet to the lake.  We did this hike in late June, and there was still plenty of snow at the lake, so bring proper footwear.  You do get some pretty spectacular views of the Grand Teton from the lake.  There’s also plenty of overnight backpacking opportunities on this trail, and you can get a permit here for a small fee (https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/bcres.htm)

Lake of the Crags (4.5 Miles, Hard) 

Although this has shorter mileage and seems like it would be an easier option, don’t be fooled. This is a challenging hike up to an amazing alpine lake surrounded by jagged peaks.  Be prepared to scramble up rocky terrain at an alarming rate as this hike climbs 2,885 feet in 2.2 miles!  Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, sunhat, and sunglasses as you are very exposed to the sun and heat on this hike.  Although it’s challenging, the climb is actually very scenic. You’ll scramble up boulders along waterfalls, and at any given moment, you can turn around for amazing views of Jenny Lake.  Once you make it to the lower lake, be prepared to hike up a few snowfields.  If you aren't experienced in traversing snowfields or don't have the proper equipment, we recommend you don't go any further as a slip could be fatal.  We witnessed a helicopter emergency rescue at the lake.  A climber slid down a snowfield and collided with a boulder, and had to be airlifted out.  This National Park can kill you in many ways, so always be prepared!  Once we got to the lake, we celebrated with a small breakfast, caught our breath, and relaxed amongst the crags.  We started early (7 am), and we were the first people to the lake.  On the way down, we saw many hikers sweating it out on the climb in the heat of the day.  You don't want to be doing this.  

Surprise and Amphitheater Lake  (8.9 Miles - Hard) 

The next hikes don't require the Jenny Lake shuttle, and all start from the Lupine Meadows Trail Head.  Once again, be prepared with Bear Spray. We saw two bears on this trail.  This is a hectic trail so start early!  We started before dawn, hiked in the dark for a bit, and caught the sunrise from the trail.  Once again, we were the only ones at the lake.  This hike climbs 2,942 Feet to two beautiful alpine lakes.  Amphitheater Lake is the higher of the two lakes and only an additional climb from Surprise Lake, so don't cut yourself short here. You got this!  Upon reaching Surprise lake, we were planning on hiking to Disappointment Peak, but there was just too much snow and ice, and we weren't prepared for the conditions to make it to the peak.  So we scrambled and climbed around some of the rocks around Amphitheater Lake to get a view from above.  There is a really nice view from the ridge to the north of the lake, and it is easy and safe to climb up.  We headed down to an overflowing parking lot where we cooked lunch and relaxed.  

Delta Lake (8.8 Miles - Hard)

The shortest way to start this trail is from the Lupine Meadows Trail Head.  Once again, the key to having most of these hikes to yourself is to start very early!  This is an overly busy National Park, and it gets hectic out there.  This was easily one of our favorite hikes.  You can do Delta hike as an out and back, ascending 2,330 feet.  We actually combined this hike with the Amphitheater Lake Hike to make it an 11.5 Miles, 3670 Foot climb that included all three lakes (Surprise, Amphitheater, and Delta, Highly Recommended).  Delta Lake was our favorite of all the Teton Alpine Lakes!  Delta has an amazing teal hue, and the Grand Teton looms high above the lake, reflecting her glory across its glassy glacial waters.  It’s that beautiful. I had to get poetic.

Taggart Lake Loop (4.1 Miles, Easy) 

Taggart Lake is a nice hike for the less adventurous type that still wants to experience some Teton magic.  This is a very scenic and mellow hike to a large lake with great views of the peaks.  We even went for a swim in the lake it was very refreshing.  We did this hike later in the afternoon, and it wasn’t hectic.  However, we will note that the sun is better earlier in the day, and it was hard to take good photos of the lake at sunset.  The mountains are too big, and they block the sun out.  

We hope this is helpful to you!  We have more Grand Teton National Park Tips here! 

Black Rock Desert - Nevada's Best Free Camping

Nevada’s Black Rock Desert aka “Black Rock City” is one of the coolest places to camp in the United States.  If you can be blessed enough to spend just one night out here on a cloudless moonless night you will never forget the display mother nature put on that night.  The Black Rock Desert isn’t just good for tripping out and being in an obscure remote area. 

There’s miraculously some geothermal hot spring activity in the area.  The premier hot spring and the only one worth going to check out is the Black Rock Hot Spring.  If you are trying to find it just look for the black rock to the north and it’s directly underneath it.  It’s a fun journey heading out to the spring and it’s a very large hot spring too.  You can camp up to 14 days on BLM land and always pack out your trash and let’s keep these places pristine.  

Also, it can get very dusty out on the Playa so be prepared for a few dust storms. We had a few dust storms that lasted all day.