River Trail
- 2.5 mi
- round trip
- 253 ft
- climb
- 4,199 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
River Trail is a 2.45-mile hike on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nearest town is Frenchglen, about 1.4 miles away. The trail is an out-and-back with a total round-trip distance of about 4.9 miles. It starts at roughly 4,189 feet and reaches a high point of about 4,199 feet, with a total elevation gain of about 253 feet for the round trip. The climb is easy, and the trail is rated easy. Bikes are allowed, so the route works for hikers and riders alike. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 68°F and September highs around 75°F, with July the warmest month at about 85°F. Nearby options include Barnes Springs Footpath, about 1.2 miles away, and Bridge Creek Trail, about 2.1 miles away. Page Springs Campground is about 2.2 miles off, and the Blitzen River Trail is about 3 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Steens Mountain Wilderness Resort2 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Barnes Springs FootpathHiking1.2 mi
- Bridge Creek TrailHiking2.1 mi
- Page Springs CampgroundCamping2.2 mi
Wilderness TrailHikingPhoto: nickavarvel, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)2.4 mi
Blitzen River TrailHikingPhoto: nickavarvel, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)3 mi
Donner und Blitzen RiverCanoeingPhoto: Bureau of Land Management, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)3.8 mi- Oregon Desert TrailHiking7.9 mi
- WJMA TrailHiking8.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Wilderness TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: nickavarvel, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Blitzen River TrailHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: nickavarvel, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Oregon Desert TrailHiking · ~14 min drive
- Little Blitzen TrailHiking · ~26 min drive
Steens Summit TrailHiking · ~35 min drivePhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Wildhorse Lake TrailHiking · ~35 min drivePhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Big Indian TrailHiking · ~31 min drive
- Barnes Springs FootpathHiking · ~2 min drive
- Tombstone Canyon TrailHiking · ~16 min drive
- Mud Creek-Ankle Creek TrailHiking · ~34 min drive
Best time to visit River Trail
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
39° / 20°
Feb
43° / 22°
Mar
52° / 27°
Apr
58° / 31°
May
68° / 39°
Jun
75° / 44°
Jul
85° / 50°
Aug
83° / 48°
Sep
75° / 40°
Oct
62° / 31°
Nov
47° / 24°
Dec
37° / 20°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Malheur Refuge Hq, OR, 29.9 mi away at 4,118 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.