Planning a Trip to Owyhee Area...

Hey everyone,
I'm planning to take a long weekend trip to the Owyhee to do some camping, hiking and photography. My two "go to" books for such adventures give some space to Leslie Gulch but not much to the Chalk Basin area. I was thinking about camping a couple of nights at both locations.

Has anyone ever explored those areas for photo potential, especially Chalk basin, the lesser known of the two? Any suggestions?

ML

The area can be great for pictures. However, I hope you don't plan on going there in the summer heat. You should wait until September at least. I have been to Leslie Gulch, then floated up to the Honeycombs, then Succor Creek, Jump Creek and up to Silver City. We usually do Silver City as a winter ski in, but it is a very cool place to check out and photograph. I haven't hiked to Chalk Basin area yet, but pictures I have seen from the area look rather impressive. Perhaps after you take a few, you can share them with us.
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I haven't visited Chalk Basin yet, but a Google search turns up several good sources of info. You might also contact Jim Davis at Oregon Natural Desert Association http://www.onda.org.

We are planning to go around Labor Day...hoping the shorter days make for 80 degree highs instead of 90's. I'll check with Jim Davis and other ONDA folks too. Thanks.

I think September would be a great time to visit just about anywhere in southeast Oregon. Daytime temps are milder, nights just starting to get crispy, and the bright yellow clumps of blooming rabbitbrush are really nice accents in desert landscapes. It has been more than a couple of years since I visited Leslie Gulch, but that last time there I was disappointed to find that the BLM had "improved" the campground that is close to Owyhee Reservoir. Instead of a delightful primitive camping area, it looked more like a gravel parking lot. Resourceful folks like yourself will make the best of it. : ) Also, the nearby Succor Creek area is worth checking out, both for scenery and pleasant camping.

Thanks, Greg. I've seen the gravel parking lot effect online and in brochures. Fortunately, they also added picnic tables with a shade shelter for each site. Figured that might actually be nice toward the end of an otherwise off-grid trip.