Table of Contents
INTRO, LOCATION & TRANSPORTATION
Joseph, Oregon is one of my favorite PNW towns. We stopped in Joseph after visiting Boise on our summer honeymoon road trip. The town is ~240 miles from Boise, ~405 miles from Seattle and ~331 miles from Portland. It’s in eastern Oregon, sits along the Wallowa Lake and Eagle Cap National Forest and is home to ~1,081 people. The area is known for all things bronze, as it has the world-renowned Valley Bronze foundry in town. TW and Parks bronze foundries are also close by in Enterprise, OR. Enterprise is ~5 miles from Joseph.
If you’re traveling from far, Joseph is also a good launching point before heading to the Minam River Lodge. I recommend ~3-days in Joseph.
LODGING
We stayed at an airbnb on a family ranch in Lostine, OR that was one of the best airbnb experiences that I’ve had. The property is breathtaking and we loved interacting with the horses. The ranch is ~15 minutes outside of downtown Joseph. The owners are a wonderful, thoughtful family. The cabin is a simple, yet cozy, spacious studio with 1-bath. It’s, of course, dog friendly.
Little Nell Ranch of Lostine, Airbnb ~$135+/night
Despite its small size, Joseph, has a few actually very good restaurants (more on this below). We cooked at the airbnb a few times, and I still recommend stocking up on some breakfast items. The property is so peaceful, that eating a nice breakfast with coffee or having a glass of wine with dinner is incredibly worthwhile. The image gallery below is a collection of photos from the property. Leia loves horses and is good around them. Ahhh brb, booking my trip there for next year.
If you’re looking to stay closer to Wallowa Lake, this Scandinavian style, lakefront 3-bedroom, 2.5 baths property is a terrific option. It’s priced at ~$350-$550/night and doesn’t allow dogs. Here’s another waterfront option that has 2-bedrooms and 1-bath (not pet friendly) and is priced at ~274/night. And finally, this property boasts beautiful mountain views, has 3-bedrooms, 2-baths and is priced at ~$395/night (also not pet friendly).
The Wallowa Lake Lodge, located right next to Wallowa State Park, is a historic hotel option, which offers rustic “camp style” rooms. The property is not pet friendly. Prices vary and this place seems to book out well in advance.
ACTIVITIES
Explore the Downtown
Wonder through the Phinney Gallery of Fine Art, the Aspen Grove Gallery, the Valley Bronze Gallery, and so many more. The Joseph Gallery List outlines everything that you should see, but really just start downtown, and walk, and you can’t go wrong. Remember, it’s a small town. While window shopping, check out the famous Arrowhead Chocolates Shop, which was featured in the Associated Press and allegedly another famous paper.
Get Outside
Head to the Wallowa Lake State Park, which is right by Joseph and enjoy a day at the lake. We also loved hiking the Wallowa Lake East Moraine Trail, which is 4.2M and rated as moderate. The entrance to the trail is not well marked, so download the coordinates from AllTrails and park by that spot. The trail borders someone’s property so stay on trail and don’t trespass. The views are fantastic. I’d also look into rafting the Snake River with Winding Water River Expeditions. Trips leave directly out of Joseph.
DINNER
As noted, we were really pleased with both restaurants that we dined at in downtown Joseph, especially given the size of the town. Morel season was in full swing and both restaurants featured fantastic local morel inspired dishes.
The Dog Spot
Very enjoyable experience, run by a husband and wife duo. The food is comforting and the atmosphere and service are great. The gnocchi is a must get. We dined indoors. AD’s Review: 4.6.
Gold Room
High quality Neapolitan pizza, salads, and small plates. The crust was high-quality and the service was great. Would recommend this restaurant to anyone in town. We dined indoors, but it looks like there is an outdoor area. AD’s Review: 4.5. **UPDATE: UNFORTUNATELY IT LOOKS LIKE THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED.
