Little Fish Creek Hike
Hike Rating: Moderate
Hike
Length: 6.4 miles roundtrip
Elevation Loss: 750’
Trailhead Elevation: 7,700’
Best Season: July through September,
after
upper snow gates are open
Driving Access: High-clearance vehicle,
once access road is snow-free
and dry
Plus
Points
• A moderate hike along roads and trails through two
high-elevation stream canyons
• All within a cow-free zone of the Steens Mountain
Wilderness Area
• Outstanding groves of old-growth quaking aspen along
Grove Creek
• Beaver dams, wet meadows and wildflowers along
willow-lined Little Fish Creek
• Historical cabins and old recreation camp at the Nye
Place
• Magnificent views of the Little Blitzen Gorge from a
rimrock overlook
Minus Points
• A rugged 0.8 mile,
cross-country bushwhack between Grove and Little Fish
Creeks
• This cross-country segment requires basic orienteering
and route finding skills
• The access road to the trailhead requires a
high-clearance vehicle
Download
(PDF, 483 KB): Photos of Little Fish Creek
Hike
Download
(PDF, 655 KB): Topo Map for Little Fish Creek
Hike
Download
(PDF, 742 KB): Road Map for Little Fish Creek
Hike
Trail
Notes
The hike
begins at the junction of the road down Grove Creek and the
road to the Nye Place. The route follows the road down
Grove Creek for about 1 mile to its end at a “Wilderness
Boundary” sign. Enjoy the remarkable groves of old-growth
quaking aspens along this section. At road’s end, the route
continues cross-country to the west, through another grove
of big aspen trees, with the goal of climbing slowly uphill
onto the ridge dividing Grove and Little Fish Creeks. There
are some aspen thickets and sagebrush on this divide that
require some serious bushwhacking — but if one continues
west and south, there’s no way to get lost. Soon, one has
panoramic views down into the Little Fish Creek drainage
and the route is southwest down the steep hillside to the
stream.
Once at Little Fish Creek, there is an old single-track
trail winding upstream along the south bank of the creek
following an easy grade through sage flats and wet meadows.
If you can’t find this trail at first, keep wandering
upstream along the south side, as the trail becomes more
prominent the further upstream you go.
For the next
1.1 miles, the route follow this trail up Little Fish
Creek, through streamside meadows and aspen groves. Note
the beaver dams and ponds in this section. For the last
mile to the Nye Place, the trail turns into a double-track
jeep road that is easily followed. Once at the Nye Place,
you’ll find a dirt road and several old cabins, remnants of
a commercial hunting and fishing camp established here in
the early 1900s. Before walking up the road to your
vehicle, it’s worthwhile to take a short sidetrip to a
remarkable overlook of the Little Blitzen Gorge. Follow the
road 0.4 miles west from the Nye Place to a high point near
the rim, where a short trail extends 50 yards to the south,
through brush to the overlook.
Road to Trailhead
On the Steens
Mtn. Loop Road, drive about 1.7 miles southeast from the
Jackman Park Campground. Look for a dirt road branching off
to the right (west). If it’s dry and hard, turn onto this
road and follow it west, keeping to the right at all road
junctions within the first half mile. At about 2.6 miles
from the Loop Road, a dirt road branches off to the right
(north) at a small grove of aspen trees. Park at this road
junction, taking care not to block either road.
Note that this access road is for high-clearance vehicle
ONLY — and even these vehicles will be challenged in a few
of the steep and rocky spots.
Camping Options
For tent
campers only: The nearest campground is the Jackman Park
Campground, managed by the BLM. It’s located at 7,800’ on
the Steens Mtn. Loop Road, 19 miles east of Frenchglen and
about 4 driving miles from the trailhead. This campground
is nestled within a small basin of aspen groves and wet
meadows below a glaciated rim. There are 6 small sites for
tents, though one of the sites can accommodate a small tent
or travel trailer. Each site has a concrete picnic table
and fire ring. The campground has a vault toilet, drinking
water and trash cans. The fee was $6.00 per night in 2012.
For all campers: The next nearest campground is the Fish
Lake Campground, also managed by the BLM. It’s located at
7,400’ on the Steens Mtn. Loop Road, about 17 miles west of
Frenchglen and about 6 driving miles from the trailhead.
This campground has 23 sites around a small mountain lake,
some tucked away in aspen groves at the head of the lake
and others more exposed near the lake’s outlet. All have
gravel parking pads, tables and fire rings. There are vault
toilets here, drinking water, trash cans and a small boat
ramp (for motor-less boats only). The fee was $8.00 per
night in 2012.
Agency Contact: Burns BLM District, (541)
573-4411
DISCLAIMER:
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this
information, but the authors do not guarantee that it is
either current or correct. The reader assumes full
responsibility for any use of this information, and is
encouraged to contact local federal land agencies to
inquire about current conditions before
traveling.
Page
last updated: 1/17/13