Bridge Creek Wilderness

Bridge Creek drains northeasterly from the edge of the summit of the Ochoco Mountains, essentially dividing the Wilderness into two meadow-filled plateaus. The peaks of East Point and North Point look across this small Wilderness from 6,625 feet and 6,607 feet respectively, and the view from North Point's 600-foot cliff face is particularly breathtaking. Water gurgles perennially from five springs: Thompson, Pisgah, Masterson, Nelson and Maxwell. Most of the 30 inches of annual precipitation falls as winter snow on a forest dominated by fir and larch with streaks of pine and clearings of sagebrush and bunchgrass. In the central core of the area you'll find stands of white fir and lodgepole pine nearing 100 years in age. Bridge Creek is for those seeking a true wilderness adventure, as there are no maintained trails, and off-trail hiking through a tangled understory tends to be difficult. Wind has stunted the trees and opened the country around North Point; a hike of about 1.2 miles from near Pisgah Springs along an abandoned jeep track will take you to the summit, and another abandoned trail leads about 1.5 miles to the summit of East Point. You may very well have this area all to yourself — in the fall, even the mule deer and elk make themselves scarce, seeking the densest thickets when hunters come. In 2008 the Bridge Creek Fire burned most of the Wilderness to stand replacement conditions. It is now more accessible with greater line-of-sight vistas, but please use caution: many trees have been weakened and present additional danger.