Echo Rock/Owyhee

[idasoaker]

I made it out to Echo Rock on Friday, May 16th, with my inflatable kayak.  The motorized enthusiasts were out in full force.  There were dozens of campers and boaters in the area.  I was subjected to some grief from a boater that felt a 15 minute unloading and parking of his boat trailer was a higher priority than the 10 minute unloading and inflation of my IK.  Yes. the *ssholes are back too!

There were two 100 x 100 yard migrations of Mormon Crickets crossing the highway just before the summit coming up out of Marsing.  There were so many of them that the carnage changed the color of the road.  It would make for a very cheap horror movie for anyone who wanted to take the time to geet out and film the spectacle.  I have stopped before, and don't care to again.  The birds don't even eat them.  They eat each other! 

There hasn't been much rain lately.  So, it was a dusty drive down Leslie Gulch.  Very few wildlowers this year. The road was in great shape.  There was just a little bit of erosion from a small stream crossing over the road just after Dago Gulch. The paddle itself was very enjoyable.  It was over 80F, no wind. The current was only about 1 mph.  There were campers in the Spring Creek/Schoolhouse Gulch area, but none along the upper reaches.  There were several passing boats, so not a good day for nude paddling. The water was bitter tasting and murky, about 61 F.  The HS shows signs of little use.  It has a secluded setting that is not easily visible from the river.  The 2006 improvements to the upper pool were holding up well.  The valve and mortar were in good shape, but the drain plug is missing so a pair of sweat pants were being used.  I found the pool empty and began filling it.  The water was coming out at 116F.  So I went in only knee deep.  I would have waited for it to cool, but some of the debris look very much like the cow dung which surrounds the area. I left the pool half full so that the next visitors would not have to wait for it to cool.  I wish the BLM sould restrict grazing in the immediate area. 

The GPS coordinates of the improved pool are N43.30186 W117.38461.  2718' elev.  There is also a smaller pool fed by a pipe about 100 yards down the hill.  You can also hike down to the springs, but it is a grueling hike back up, especially on a hot day.  You can also hike along the Owyhee River during low water which normally is mid-October to early-March. 

I'd give the HS a Hotspringsguy rating of B-.  Although it has the potential of reaching the "A" range with a little more use and care.  Really specatcular scenery and only slightly challenging 7 or 8-mile round trip paddle.

[HSG]

Great trip report and photos! That really sucks about the BLM's cattle grazing operations.

Do you visit the hot springs south of Lake Owyhee often?

[idasoaker]

The Owyhee Canyonlands area is one of my favorite non-summer places to go.  It is pretty hot in the summer, so if I go in the summer it will be from Indian Creek from the Owyhee State park. They have shade, a little store, weekend music, and rental pontoons with a range just long enough to get to Echo Rock and back before running out of gas, food, beer and ice.

If skiing sucks in the winter, I will go out to Leslie Gulch and occasionally take the hike or MTB ride along the narrow trickle of what is left of the river and go up to the springs.  Back in February, I MTB'd to Echo Rock and mistakenly only found the lower pool.  It had been a year or two since my previous visit.  Once it was pointed out that I missed the main attraction, that being the improved pool, I decided to put it on my calendar again for the spring bloom.  I had just gotten a high speed pump for my IK.  So, that is what brought me back this time.  There are so many cool things to check out in the area that Echo Rock HS is not really the highlight for me.

I have also floated and stopped at Ryegrass and Greely Bar having set out from Rome and the Pillars area.  It looks like from the map that you can also reach Rygrass by road past Jordan Craters, but I haven't tried.  The road to Jordan Craters is full of sharp rocks and is slow going and we usually spend the day climbing around the lava formations without leaving time to press on to Ryegrass.  I have tried bushwacking back to Greely Bar from the BLM Outpost, but gave it up after ruining shoes and clothes on the weed seeds that work their way into the fabric.  And, no, I wouldn't suggest doing that hike nude.  Echo Rock in early spring is a far better place to work on your all-over tan with only occasional sightings of 4-wheelers.

All in all, a great place to go for scenery and geology. I would think that increased visitation and more emptying and filling of the pool at Echo Rock will improve the water quality, although it is a bit of a wait for it to cool down. So, I'd plan a lunch or hike in the meantime.  As for the grazing, I suppose one could take that up with the BLM RAC.  It is not high-quality grazing in the immediate area due to the steepness.  There is already a fence.  So for all I know, they may intend to protect it anyway.  Spring Creek appears to be restricted from grazing.  So, there is some sensitivity to watersheds being demonstrated already.  Grazing is the scourge or recreational watersheds. My dog is just getting over giardia and I am quite tired of cleaning dung off my MTB.  So, take time to enjoy and savor your red meat. Aside from the rec land it fouls, it takes 70% of the world's ag land and 30% of global energy to produce.  It ain't cheap!   

I recommend a visit to Owyhee.  HS's are a nice feature, but to me not really the main attraction.         

[HSG]

Excellent, and awesome! Thanks for the well-thought post. I agree; off-season is my favorite time to visit that area and even NE NV and SE OR as well.

So, take time to enjoy and savor your red meat. Aside from the rec land it fouls, it takes 70% of the world's ag land and 30% of global energy to produce.  It ain't cheap!    

That is one of the many reasons why I gave up meat almost a year ago.

Here's another...