Finally, you get to go on the vacation you’ve planned all year. You arrive at your lodging in Joseph for a good night’s sleep so you can hit the trail early in the morning. You’ve got your hiking destination all mapped out and know which trailhead to take to begin you adventure.
Nothing can ruin a day faster than traveling a considerable distance to get to that trailhead and discover that you need a pass to park there. And where do you get the pass? From the local Ranger District Office back in Joseph!!! (Some websites haven’t updated their information and still list Enterprise as the place to get it. But the beautiful Forestry building burnt down a number of years ago, and they moved to the grade school in Joseph for now. The kids are all at the high school building.)
When you visit Wallowa County, you want to get out and enjoy the beautiful wilderness, experiencing the joy of getting away from it all. So don’t mess up your vacation plans by forgetting one simple thing… Much of Wallowa County is covered with the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest as well as the Eagle Cap Wilderness. And the Forestry Service requires people who use these areas to obtain passes or permits.
The Pass You Need for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
When you park at improved trailheads you need the Northwest Forest Pass. When you click on the Buy Your Pass button on the Northwest Forest Pass page, it takes you to the USGS Store where you’ll see the order form at the top of the page. At the time of this writing, this annual pass is $30. If you plan on multiple trips into the forest, you’ll need this pass.
If you only plan one trip into the forest, you can get the National Forest Day Pass . It’s price is $5. When you click on the Buy Your Pass button on the National Forest Day Pass page, it takes you to Discover Your Northwest Recreation Passes. After you get your pass, you’ll write in the day, month and year when you visit the site. It’s only valid for that day. If you don’t fill it in, it’s not valid.
If you’re a senior or have disabilities, there are specific passes for you.
You can find a list of all the passes available here. So you might want to start out at this site if you’re not sure which pass you need.
Don’t know where you’re going to be hiking yet? Why not check out 5 Easy Hikes…Plus Tips! In mountainous Wallowa County, it’s understandable difficult to find some easy hikes. I’m sharing 5 of my favorites and letting you know which ones need a pass from the Forest Service.
Resources:
The US Forest Service website has a lot of great information that you’ll enjoy. I included all the links and instruction above, because there’s so much to read you can get sidetracked easily.
Wallowa Valley Ranger District/Eagle Cap Ranger District/Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
201 East Second Street/P.O. Box 905
Joseph, OR 97846
541-426-5546, 541-426-4978 fax: 541-432-0693
