Wow, if you haven’t been there before, you’re in for a real treat. Wallowa Lake is a prime spot for being outdoorsy and not having to ‘rough it’ at the same time. There are rental cabins, RV parks, and camping sites all within a block or two of each other, so you can take your pick of where to stay…as long as you can get reservations! There’s a tramway up the mountain to the southeast of the lake; mini golfing; one of those bumpercar style race tracks with the tires along the sides so the kids can’t run off the track; horseback riding tours up into the mountains a few miles; a beach off the south end of the lake, as well as boating and I’ve even seen parasailing on the lake, and there’s an outfit that you can pay to participate in that. There are tourist trap style convenience stores where you can buy any equipment or clothing you forgot; as well as souvenir tshirts, mugs, nicer clothing, etc… but be prepared to pay extra for it. And I love the hiking. There are miles and miles of trails off the south end of the road where the Wallowa Lake trailhead is located. This is one of the popular trailheads into Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness area. If you’re into hiking, you can get a topographical map of the Eagle Cap area in Joseph, or you can probably order one from National Geographic. In Joseph, they’re something like $7… at least, that was the price several years ago at the Joseph Hardware store, when I bought mine, which is now almost in shreds. If you’re interested in backpacking, it’s always a good idea to stop by the Ranger Station, which is just outside of Enterprise. They’re really good about keeping track of which trails are open, or hazardous, or whatever. If you just want to take it easy, there are some really neat shops in Joseph. There’s a bronzemaking… place…(is that called a forge?)…and art galleries, coffee & soda/ice cream shops, as well as some great restaurants. Joseph holds the Chief Joseph Days at the end of July; so it sounds like you’ll miss the big party. But they should still have a lot to do, and the kids will wear you (and your wallet) out, with all of the places they’ll want to go. Hope you have a blast on your vacation!



COPY FROM GOGIRL