WIEC Cornucopia Loop

Route Description

The gold mining town of Cornucopia, Oregon thrived, for the most part, from 1884 until 1942. Today, it is a ghost town and tourist attraction. Many old buildings still stand intact, with a spattering of newer houses and trailers occupied seasonally by hunters. It’s worth a quick drive-through while you’re up there.

Loop starts with a climb up an old mining road, then turns left at the first junction onto the Norway Trail. After making it over Norway Pass, you will drop down to the South Fork of the Imnaha River, crossing it twice before climbing up towards Crater Lake (not THE Crater Lake, just A Crater Lake) on the Cliff Creek Trail. Stay left on Pine Lakes Trail, and after crossing the pass at the high point of the route, drop down to Upper and Lower Pine Lake to begin the 7 mile descent to the finish.

Loop begins and ends near the privately owned Cornucopia Lodge. Highly recommended to have a meal there before or after your trip. Call ahead for availability, vegetarian/vegan options may be available (541-742-4500).

How To

Wild Idaho Endurance Challenge events are self/unsupported wilderness fun runs. No course markings, no aid stations, no set date or time. You can complete them by yourself at any time or with a friend or two. Routes must be completed on foot and in one push. The nice part is that there are no cutoffs, so if you find a lake where you want to take a dip or a special viewpoint that you want to sit and enjoy, there is no pressure! Please take photos and visit the Facebook or Instagram pages afterwards and share with us how it went with a short trip report! You can either self report your time on the honor system, or you can submit your Strava/Gaia/Garmin/Suunto etc track. Please visit the website for GPS/GPX tracks of your route.

But Why?

To get people out into the wonderful wilderness areas that we have here! Information isn't always readily available for these areas and maps can be scarce and not always reliable. That can intimidate some that aren't as experienced outdoors-people. The goal is to empower people to get out into these wilderness areas, to raise awareness of them, and hopefully to protect them into the future.

All profits from registration fees will be donated to the Wallowa Mountains-Hells Canyon Trails Association.