Visual Delights on the Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway

Riparian Area Along the North Fork of the Owyhee River (ID) [1]

From sagebrush expanses and colorful wildflowers to sheer, red-walled river canyons, the Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway epitomizes the rugged West’s high desert country. Drive the byway for a taste of the landscape's exceptional beauty and adventure as you explore southwestern Idaho and the border it shares with Oregon.

Keep an eye on the landscape as you travel across this range of ecological niches, and you'll be rewarded with the captivating sight of free-roaming deer and antelope. Rabbits and grouse might also meet your eyes, and in more remote areas, you may even encounter cougars and bighorn sheep meandering across the land.

In addition to supporting the region’s wildlife, the Owyhee River and surrounding creeks are also responsible for carving out the pronounced rhyolite and basalt cliff faces, canyons, and even some of the plateaus you can see along the byway today. Stop and take a photo overlooking the Owhyee River’s North Fork Gorge, where mahogany forests and the Owhyee Mountains compose an elegant landscape.

Turmes Ranch (ID) [2]

Of course, the Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway offers more than sights alone. Pull over off the byway for a brief picnic stop or an entire camping trip at the North Fork Campground, about 31 miles south of the byway’s west end in Jordan Valley, OR.

At the other end of the byway, about 8 miles from Grandview, ID, check out Turmes Ranch. Settled in the 1880s, Turmes Ranch once served as a traveler way station. Although vacant today, some of the ranch’s stone buildings linger on. A small cemetery nearby marks the resting place of some of the Turmes family.

Your best chance for finding dry, open roadways is during the summer, so travel this gravel byway under a sunny sky. As you do, scope out the byway’s animal residents, pass through uninterrupted sagebrush, and take in the aqueous arms of the region's river system. With so much to look forward to, the Owyhee River Back Country Byway might just become one of your favorite drives.