Orevada View

Orevada View

Straddling the Oregon-Nevada border between the towns of Denio and McDermitt is the highest point in the Trout Creek Mountains, Orevada View Benchmark. Orevada View is the highest point along a steep south facing fault escarpment created by the uplift and gradual northward tilting of the Trout Creek Fault Block. Similar to the Hart Mountain Fault Uplift which has a rough surface area of 30 square miles, the surface area of the Trout Creek Uplift is more in the magnitude of 60 square miles. This larger surface area and its higher mean elevation has resulted in the uplift being more deeply carved by canyons, and with a greater number of distinctive highpoints.

Orevada View and the Trout Creek Mountain Range is largely unknown, contributing to this fact is that the uplift is hidden behind foothills in the west, and the Oregon Canyon Mountains in the east. To the north is the almost completely uninhabited sagebrush void referred to on this website as the Willow Creek Basin, and to the south is the lightly inhabited Kings River Valley. Located hundreds of miles from towns or cities of any significant size has made this one of the most remote and undiscovered mountain ranges in Oregon or Nevada.
Below: The Trout Creek Mountains Uplift and Orevada View seen from the Bilk Creek Mountains, Disaster Peak is the smallish cone on the right


The summit plateau is a great place to see Pronghorn Antelope, Golden Eagles, Cooper Hawks, Badgers, and of course everyone's friend the Yellow Bellied Marmot. All roads in this area are carved with marmot, badger, and ground squirrel burrows, so the possibility of seeing these animals is pretty close to guaranteed. Canyons are lined with willow, aspen and cottonwood trees while high ridgelines have small forests of mahogany and aspen around numerous high elevation springs. Lower in the canyons expect to see beaver dams, mule deer, and possibly rainbow trout. Rock structure here is very similar to Steens Mountain, with some granite low in canyons topped with basalt at higher elevations.

Orevada View has 3686 feet of prominence, making it a summit destination for pursuers of the Nevada Prominence List. Check that page for more information about prominence, its meaning, and Orevada View's ranking. Elevation Gain from the parking area is a breezy 400 feet, distance traveled will be at least 7 miles roundtrip.

The Challenge of Getting There

Getting to Orevada View is an interesting proposition. The highest point itself may lay on private property. There are many fences around the summit, some marked, but most are not. A series of land swaps on the mountain range to help protect low laying streams has benefited the area and its wildlife, but this means the road to Orevada View is behind a locked gate once you reach the southernmost point on the Trout Creek Mountain Road. With this in mind it is strongly recommended that you pick up a copy of the Trout Creek Mountains map from either the BLM in Burns or at the Fields Station, which has a brochure on the area available for free. This brochure contains the BLM Map displaying which areas are private. It is not recommended that you trespass to summit Orevada View.

With that out of the way, the closest you can drive to Orevada View is via the Trout Creek Mountain Road. To reach this travel 8 miles south of Fields, Oregon to the Whitehorse Ranch road where you will take a left turn to the east. Follow the gravel Whitehorse Ranch Road across the Pueblo Valley (8 miles) where it enters a canyon and runs alongside Trout Creek. It is another 7 miles until the road leaves the canyon and enters the Willow Creek Basin (total distance traveled along Whitehorse Ranch Road approximately 15 miles). Immediately upon cresting a small hill and entering the large open basin you will see an unmarked gravel road on your right (south side of the road). This is the Trout Creek Mountain Road.

Follow the Trout Creek Mountain Road for 16 miles ignoring any turnoffs (always stay on the most traveled looking road heading primarily south upon cresting the high plateau). Once you have traveled the 16 miles up the Trout Creek Mountain Road you will reach a point where due south are three locked gates blocking the road. As a side note the Trout Creek Mountain Road itself continues due west, and can be completed as a loop. From this point where the locked gates are, Orevada View is 3.4 miles direct SSE. Up to this point as of May of 2009 none of the fences are marked no trespassing along the route described above. If you wish to travel outside the fenced area to reach the summit reference the BLM map, otherwise its jumping the fence and crossing private land for nearly 4 miles following the lightly traveled road to Orevada View Benchmark.

Finally, at the locked gates it may be possible to circumnavigate the fenced area by traveling around it first by travelling back a short distance to the north, then going to the east and finally following the ridgeline south to the summit. The BLM map seems to indicate this would be possible.

A note about tires: Be certain to travel in a 4x4 with high clearance and robust tires. Roads in the Trout Creek Mountains are seldom maintained and have many places where you will cross streams, straddle boulders, and drive through washouts. Phone service will likely be an issue, so be prepared should a tire or two blow out.

Red Tape - Weather

As stated; the BLM map and fences indicate Orevada View lays on private property. Use your own judgement accessing this peak, it may be summitable from Nevada via either the Kings River Valley or the east via Sage Creek. Unfortunately it can take multiple trips into this region to discover the open roads needed to access some remote areas. Avoid private property like the plague during hunting season! Its dangerous enough to be out in the mountains during hunting season, but should you mistakenly wander onto private property during hunting season you are asking for trouble.

Weather:
Best time to climb is May to October when roads should be devoid of snow. Late season may be possible depending on how early winter arrives. In late spring to early summer expect afternoon thunderstorms which appear to be fairly common in the Fields-Denio area.

Camping

Developed camping can be found at the Willow Creek Hot Springs. Travel 9 miles north across the Willow Creek Basin following the Whitehorse Ranch Road to a dirt side-road turnoff. The campground is a short distance ahead on the right (less than two miles). This campground has a vaulted toilet, and developed hot springs. Do not expect shade however!

There are many undeveloped camping sites in the Trout Creek Mountains, especially along Little Trout Creek. View the map below at full size to see a few campsite locations. More maps can be found on the Trout Creek Mountain Area and Range Page.
Some BLM information can be found for free at Fields Junction.
The Burns BLM can be reached at (541) 573-4400.
The Vale BLM can be reached at (541) 473-3144
BLM Page

At this time there are no known reference books for hiking or visiting the Trout Creek Mountains.

Images

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