Steens Mountain valley
Last week, we lead a fantastic, educational journey through the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, and to Oregon’s remote Steens Mountain. The trip included visits to historic small towns, remote desert trails, landmarks for the Oregon Trail, and to the stomping grounds of the cowboy Buckaroos.
The group hiking along a portion of Steens Mountain
A scene from the High Desert Museum’s Spirit of the West exhibit
For 22 years Dave Nissen— owner of Wanderlust Tours— has desired to partner with the High Desert Museum in offering tours to the scenic locations found in the museum’s Spirit of the West hall of exploration. This dream came to a beautiful manifestation this September with a 4-day, 3-night natural and cultural history exploration to the Black Rock Desert of Nevada and the Steens Mt. area of Oregon.
These two locations are represented in the exhibit’s Applegate Trail covered wagon scene as well as the Buckaroo scene. Dave was absolutely pumped to enable our tour guests to actually walk on the Applegate Trail (a part of the Oregon Trail) and walk across portions of the Black Rock playa as well as climb up the Black Rock itself!
The trip coursed its way up to the top of the Steens fault escarpment and hike at 9,000 feet to set our eyes on a stunning body of water. We meandered through 100-year old homesteads, stayed at a working cattle ranch, and stood before the 166-year old George N. Jaquith inscription in High Rock Canyon.
The group in the Black Rock Desert
The inaugural trip to highlight the museum’s famed exhibit proved that we desire only to offer more of these experiential trips. Dave believes the impact such a trip makes on our lives is found in the enrichment of our understanding of Native Americans who lived on this land and what it took for tenacious people to fulfill their pursuit of the American Dream. Combined with the sheer beauty of the Great Basin Desert, one can expect the museum and Wanderlust to team up in the future for more such experiences!
We love creating unique custom trips for our guests!
You may know us for our daily tours around the beautiful wilderness in Central Oregon. Did you know we lead specialty trips as well? Our overnight tours are always a creative endeavor, seeking out new adventures in the unique and beautiful locations across the Pacific Northwest and Western United States.
Our Custom Group Coordinator, Courtney, and Wanderlust Tours' founder and owner Dave Nissen will work tirelessly to arrange a magnificent journey for groups of 10 or more (or an equivalent price).
An early domicile in the Black Rock Desert
WE AIM TO INSPIRE
Every tour we embark upon is designed with specific goals in mind. We always aim to provide an enlightening, educational experience for our guests.
For this reason, we partnered with the High Desert Museum to explore remote locations important to the early American westward pioneering movement. With overnight trips like this one, there is plenty of opportunity for our Naturalist Guides to share their interpretation of the rolling landscapes, as well as their extensive knowledge of the area's cultural history.
Inscription from an early pioneer
