Birch Creek

The historic Birch Creek Ranch is a fantastic reflection of the hard work of early 1900s pioneers to make a living in very remote but gorgeous Owyhee Canyonlands. Birch Creek Road begins at Blowout Reservoir Road and ends along the Owyhee River with overhanging cliffs and high desert meadows. The ingenuity and determination of a Basque sheepherder and a west Virginia cattle rancher are still evident at the site today. Stone walls built in the Basque tradition still ascend the mesa. Remnants of a waterwheel hint at the lush alfalfa fields fed through the gravity irrigation system. Nineteen buildings and structures at the ranch contribute to the property's designation as a historical rural landscape on the Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places. This road is best accessible by a high clearance vehicle or, better yet, a 4-wheel drive. Don't attempt this trail when the road is wet or snow-covered.