Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The Wallowa Mountains dominate the horizon on the Horned Lark Trail.

The Zumwalt Prairie extends like a sea, laid out across rolling green hills to the horizon. Trails lead out into the grass and disappear, overtaken by wildflowers and fresh, wild growth.

The 33,000-acre preserve contains what's considered the best remaining example of bunchgrass prairie in North America. That's according to the National Park Service, which designated it a National Natural Landmark in 2013.



Though surrounded by ranches, the prairie is far from much of human civilization, located about as far northeast as you can get in northeast Oregon – a remote destination in what’s already a far-flung corner of the region.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A butterfly unfolds its wings on a wildflower.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The Duckett Barn is found near the entrance to the preserve.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Wildflowers bloom in the hills below Harsin Butte in the ZUmwalt Prairie.

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It’s hemmed in on the south by the majestic Wallowa Mountains, and to the north by wrinkled, sparsely forested hills above the Snake River. The western boundary of the preserve nears the edge of Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America. To the east is a sprawling, treeless plateau, almost all of which is private ranches.

The land is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that buys up land around the world for the purpose of conservation. It manages more than a dozen sites around Oregon, including Cascade Head, Tom McCall Preserve and Camassia Natural Area.



That mission of conservation means the Zumwalt Prairie is well-protected, and not particularly well set-up for hikers.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A guide post marks the beginning of Patti's Trail.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Wildflowers bloom along the Harsin Butte Trail.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A wooden ladder allows hikers to cross over a barbed wire fence.

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Four trails lead into four separate areas within the preserve, all found along bumpy gravel roads about an hour north of the town of Joseph. Four-wheel drive is ideal to reach most, and a high-clearance vehicle is recommended for the more remote Canyon Vista Trail.

Each trailhead provides a small sign with a map that shows the way, though it will do little to help you navigate. The trails aren’t really trails as much as narrow pathways in the grass. They can be extremely hard to follow in the full thrush of spring and summer, when the paths tend to disappear into prairie.

Trail markers are there to guide you – blue wooden posts signed with arrows pointing in one direction or another – but these, too, are unreliable. Some posts are found near no discernable trail, and others simply point in the direction from which you came.

The best strategy when hiking in the Zumwalt is to navigate from post to post, doing your best to find a clear path that doesn’t trample over flowers.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A bird perches on barbed wire along the edge of the Horned Lark area.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The Wallowa Mountains dominate the horizon on the Horned Lark Trail.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Wildflowers bloom in the green grassy hills of the Zumwalt Prairie in June.

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On one hand, the lack of clear trails adds to the romantic appeal of the prairie – a place made for nature, not for people. On the other hand, the frustration of navigation can take precious energy away from simply enjoying the natural beauty.

And it really is a beautiful place. The Horned Lark Trail, perhaps the crown jewel of the Zumwalt Prairie, boasts spectacular views of the Wallowa Mountains rising over the emerald hills. Wildflowers bloom in purple, yellow, pink and white come late spring and early summer. Butterflies flutter and mingle with bees. Birds gather in trees and brush that line small trickling creeks.

There are few places in Pacific Northwest that feature that combination of natural elements, and even fewer that also offer the remote peacefulness found at the Zumwalt Prairie. The only sounds there are the chirps of birds and symphony of crickets – and of course the wind in the endless sea of grass.

The Zumwalt Prairie trailheads are found along a series of gravel roads, about an hour north of Joseph. See the prairie map online at nature.org.



SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Wildflowers bloom in the green grassy hills of the Zumwalt Prairie in June.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Wildflowers bloom in the green grassy hills of the Zumwalt Prairie in June.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The Wallowa Mountains dominate the horizon on the Horned Lark Trail.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A butterfly unfolds its wings on a flower.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A watering hole is found on the Horned Lark Trail.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Wildflowers bloom on Patti's Trail, found near the main entrance to the Zumwalt Prairie.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The visitor kiosk is located neat Patti's Trail at the main entrance to the prairie.

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