Oregon Desert Trail ODT

Sage Clegg also gives very good info on her site from her 2013 hike

In the summer of 2013 Sage teamed up with Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) to hike their new route across eastern Oregon, the Oregon Desert Trail. .

Sorry, it’s a generational thing.  I see “Oregon Trail” and my mind goes to:

On my radar

Thanks for putting the offer out there Steve, much appreciated.

Add another to the list…

Very cool Steve, thanks for the tip!

I just learned about this trail.

Looks like there are a few excellent videos up on YouTube documenting hiker’s experiences on the ODT:

1. Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) Thru-Hike: Episode 1

2. 800 miles on the Oregon Desert Trail (Sage Clegg, mentioned above)

3. Oregon Desert Trail 2015 with Huck Finn

I will be moving to Bend in May and would like to hike all or part of this trail in the near future.

Does anyone else have first-hand experiences to share about the ODT?

As I put out in the original post……

Get in touch, I would be happy to be a part of any adventures on this trail.  FYI, the season this year is short on water. I’ve been going out since end of March, and the trail is “on” now! It will be decidedly different the farther west you go.

The only “advice” I can offer as a local is that this is the real deal. Don’t underestimate it or quite frankly you will probably expire out there.  This is the epitome of a “route”.  There are no trails.  :)   OR PEOPLE!  :)

Hi Steve,

Thanks for sharing your experience and offering to help!

I previously spent some time hiking in the John Day area.  I found the terrain to be barren but strangely alive at the same time.  I was continually reminded of the presence of ancient fossils.

Since I just discover the ODT, my first step will be to research as much as I can.  I’ll probably do a few scouting trips and day and weekend hikes to get a better sense of the area.

Yes, it will certainly be important to heed your warnings about water and the lack of nearby services and people (mostly a positive, in my opinion) :)

One quick question: If hiking the whole route, would you recommend going from west to east or east to west?

Seems like most of the hikers are going West to East.   But I have had one hiker start here on the eastern end. The desert here really opens up Feb-May, and by May its just plain HOT.  So it will depend on weather pattern and temps while comparing the west and east sides of the route.

No matter which way you go, you have to time it to get past the Steens. That seems to be the main roadblock.  Its snow covered while the desert is scorching lol.  Also, seems to be a better choice to use some of the alternates, as some sections are downright wicked difficult in the smaller canyons.

Yes, the west to east route seems like the more popular choice based on the above videos and other resources online. In her video, Sage mentioned that the hardest part was at the end (near the eastern end of the route).

Another aspect that was evident from the videos was the almost complete absence of other people.  The ODT seems like what parts of southern Utah might have been like 100 years ago.  That aspect is immensely appealing to me, but it obviously also entails some clear danger if unprepared.

I agree that “letting the weather dictate” the choice of when/where to start seems wise.

When I get to Bend, I will do a few day hikes and weekend trips on the western part of the route.  That should give me a sense of the terrain and impact of the heat/lack of water availability.

Looking forward to getting out in the desert soon!

*Steve, if I end up planning a longer trip, I will send you a message and can perhaps bounce some ideas back and forth!