A fun loop without traffic that can be done relatively early in the season. It is a fun mix of varied terrain, good views, some riverside riding, and tough climbs. The road is pretty chunky in places, so a mountain bike is another good alternative for this loop.
You start at Minam, where the Wallowa and Minam Rivers flow together and cross the river to the south and head up a tough climb. Eventually it tops out for some mellow climbing on a nice plateau. You'll take a right and head through a canyon and then drop down to the Minam River. There are a couple ways down to the river. Once you arrive there you head upriver to a bridge and then climb up to the top of Minam Grade and take the highway back to the start. Alternately you can take a singletrack trail downriver and ford the river if the current isn't too strong.
Only a short section of this loop is open to traffic. You'll find a new gate at the top of the first climb and several others you will have to get over. The timber company that owns this area allows for non-motorized traffic (or at least that is what I read on one of the signs). These gates up top went up in late 2015. The bridge across the Minam River has a gate on the other side and there is a gate at the top of Minam Grade too, so you'll really only see some cars on the highway.
The loop here is shown clockwise.
