Get Owyhee Uplands National Back Country Byway - Blm

The Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness lies in southwestern Idaho and contains cold-water streams and canyons ranging in height from 250 to over 1,000 feet. The canyons of the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness and the adjacent uplands provide habitat for several sensitive wildlife species.

In the alphabet they adopted, the word "Owyhee" turned out to be "Hawaii." But in Idaho, the older form survived. Many of the fur traders' Idaho place names were lost in later years, but some—including "Owyhee" for a mountain range and river—were retained.

The southwest corner of Idaho is a remote area of high desert plateaus and steep, rugged canyons known as the Owyhee Canyonlands. Within this sparsely inhabited area, roughly 500,000 acres are Wilderness Study Areas (WSA).

The name, Owyhee, comes from early fur trappers. In 1819, three natives from Hawaii, part of Donald McKenzie's fur-trapping expedition, were sent to trap a large stream that emptied into the Snake River. When they did not return, McKenzie investigated and found one man murdered in camp and no sign of the others.

The Owyhee Mountains are a mountain range in Owyhee County, Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon. Mahogany Mountain and the associated volcanic craters of the Lake Owyhee volcanic field are in the Owyhee Mountains of Oregon just east of the Owyhee Reservoir on the Owyhee River.

The Owyhee River in South Eastern Oregon is often called the Grand Canyon of Oregon. It is very arguably one of the single most scenic river trips in the state and very arguably the west.

The Owyhee Mountains are a mountain range in Owyhee County, Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon. Mahogany Mountain and the associated volcanic craters of the Lake Owyhee volcanic field are in the Owyhee Mountains of Oregon just east of the Owyhee Reservoir on the Owyhee River.