Stonehouse Rim Hike
Hike Rating: Easy
Hike
Length: 6.8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 810’
Trailhead Elevation: 6,520’
Best Season: June through September
Driving Access: 4-wheel drive
vehicle,
after upper access road is
snow-free
Plus
Points
• A cross-country hike along a 7,000'-high rim with
panoramic views of the Alvord Basin
• This part of the rim is within the Lower Stonehouse
Wilderness Study Area
• Wildflowers at their peak by mid-July, including bush
lupine, paintbrush and asters
• Many raptors seen soaring along the rim, including
red-tails, harriers and kestrels
• Large herds of antelope on the sage steppe and bunchgrass
flats behind the rim
• Solitude is almost guaranteed in this rarely-visited spot
Minus
Points
• Steep, rocky access road up
Stonehouse Canyon requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle
• No trail, but hiking is easy through the low sage scrub
along the rim
• Afternoon thunderstorms can present a lightning hazard
along the rim
Download
(PDF, 516 KB): Photos of Stonehouse Rim
Hike
Download
(PDF, 769 KB): Topo Map for Stonehouse Rim
Hike
Download
(GPX, 4 KB): GPS Points for Stonehouse Rim
Hike
Download
(PDF, 772 KB): Road Map for Stonehouse Rim
Hike
Trail
Notes
The hike
starts at a yellow cattle guard on the Lower Stonehouse
Road (GPS Point 1) and follows an abandoned jeep road
branching off to the left (south). After a few hundred
yards, one can see two rock cairns at a high point on the
rim to the southeast. The route is then cross-country and
uphill over the low sage scrub to these two cairns, 0.6
miles away (GPS Point 2). These twin cairns were presumably
built by Basque sheepherders tending their flocks here in
the early 1900s. From this first viewpoint, one has
sweeping vistas northeast, back over Stonehouse Canyon, to
Juniper and Tencent Lakes at the north end of the Alvord
Valley and southeast to the Mickey Basin.
From these twin cairns, the route follows the rim south to
other viewpoints and overlooks. The easiest walking is over
the low sage scrub and bunchgrass below the rock fields
right at the edge of the rim, but above the large sagebrush
further downhill.
About 2.2
miles south along the rim from the twin cairns, one comes
to a high point (Promontory 7327 at GPS Point 3) where
there are great views south to Mann Lake, the Alvord Desert
and the snow-capped High Steens. This makes a good lunch
and hike destination. When ready to return, the easiest
route is away from the rim to the northwest, through the
sage scrub to a stock pond about 0.8 miles away (GPS Point
4). Look for large herds of antelope in this section. Once
at the stock pond, follow the swale below it downhill until
you intersect the north-south jeep road running through
Paddle Meadows. From here, it's an easy 2.2-mile walk north
along this jeep road back to the trailhead.
Road to Trailhead
On the East
Steens Road, drive about 6.9 miles north of the Mann Lake
Recreation Area and look for a dirt road on the west. If
dry and hard, drive west on this road for 0.5 miles, across
private land (public road easement), to a wire gate at the
BLM boundary. Leave this gate exactly as you find it
(closed if closed, open if open). Continue up Stonehouse
Canyon Road for another 3.3 miles to the first road
junction, just below the top of the rim. Bear left at this
junction and drive about 0.7 miles south to a yellow cattle
guard at a second road junction. Park near this cattle
guard, taking care not to block the road. From the East
Steens Road, the drive takes about an hour.
Be forewarned: The road up Stonehouse Canyon is a steep,
rocky track, climbing over 2,400' in 4.5 miles — and
is
passable ONLY by 4-wheel drive vehicles. 4-wheel drive is only needed
in a few short steep sections, where the road surface is
loose rock, but you won’t make it to the rim without it. In
the first mile, the roadbed is the worst, with deeply
eroded ruts and exposed rocks. Higher up in the canyon, the
road narrows and becomes much steeper, but the road surface
itself actually improves as one ascends the canyon.
Camping Options
The nearest
campground is the Mann Lake Recreation Area, managed by the
BLM. It is located about 12 driving miles south of the
trailhead on the East Steens Road, at the north end of the
Alvord Basin. This free recreation site has two camping
areas, one on each side of the 200-acre lake, each with its
own vault toilet. However, that's about the extent of the
amenities as there is no drinking water, no designated
campsites and no shade. Also, be sure to tie everything
down here, as the desert winds can be ferocious.
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