20.5 miles of hiking • 1250' elevation gain • 3 nights
Long weekend backpack up Big Indian Gorge from the South Steens Mtn Rd Campground. Beautiful weather, several welcome stream crossings, the trail leads up to the mouth of the Big Indian Creek gorge. Lots of sagebrush encroaching on the trail, several large groves of Aspens and Cottonwoods line the creek with inviting campsites. We set up camp near the creek under the Cottonwoods and relaxed for the evening. Stargazing and deer watching were the evening activities. The next day we hiked up to the headwall of the creek with the intention of climbing up and over, summitting Steens Mtn., and descending down into Little Blitzen gorge. We couldn't find a route, so we just decided to return to our original camp. Along the return, we took an off trail route past a 100 foot waterfall through an eroded cave. Many trips into the creek and a good nights sleep made the return journey back to the campground enjoyable. A stop in Frenchglen for lunch at the Hotel is a must. After a drive up to the summit and views of the Kiger Gorge, a little trout fishing at the lake, we took the long road home.
