Wallowa Lake and the Wallowa mountains!

If you're looking for the best place to take photos in Oregon, Wallowa lake and the Wallowa mountains are my favorite place in Oregon to visit.  This area is completely out of the way for most city folks no matter what direction you may be coming from.  I drive over 370 miles and 7 hours when driving from Portland but it's more than worth it.  This area is one of the most amazing places on the planet.  There are over 500 miles of hiking trails, meadows, mountain peaks covered in white marble, one of the largest roadless wildernesses in the lower 48 as well as hundreds of alpine lakes and dozens of mountains over 9,000 feet.  I could go on forever with the amenities that this part of Oregon has to offer and it's surprising to me that it hasn't been listed as a National Park.  If you like to photograph wildlife you will also love this area since the are wolves, deer, mountain goats, coyotes, black bear, eagles, osprey, hawks as well as several cattle and horse ranches.  The small towns that dot the mountains are also fun to explore since it will send you back into the old west days with thousands of acres of ranches and rolling hills as well as box canyons.  Wallowa lake campground is a great place to stay since it's right at the base of the mountains but if you prefer a comfortable bed there are several lodges, motels or cabins available to rent adjacent to the campsite.  Joseph is also right next to the lake and there are several motels and restaurants to choose from.  If you do decide to make the long drive, plan on bringing all of your lenses since you will probably end up using all of them unless you plan on making a long hike up the mountains, then you will want to choose one lens and leave your tripod and the rest of your lenses back at base camp.  The mountains are unrelenting and the hikes can cover over 12-15 miles with well over 2500 feet of elevation gain.