Leslie Gulch is a canyon in

Malheur County Malheur County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,571. Its county seat is Vale, and its largest city is Ontario. The county was named after the Malheur River, which runs thr ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is on the east side of

Owyhee Lake Owyhee Reservoir or Owyhee Lake is a reservoir on the Owyhee River in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. Located in far Eastern Oregon near the Idaho border, the reservoir is Oregon's longest at . The lake is home to several species of fish, ...

, a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on the

Owyhee River The Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River located in northern Nevada, southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon in the United States. It is long.Owyhee Rive accessed November 3, 2019 The river's drainage basin is in area, one of the l ...

. Its abundant and striking rock formations are made of

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

. The gulch was named after a local rancher, Hiram E. Leslie, who was hit by lightning here in 1882. Previously it had been called "Dugout Gulch." The last of the gulch are on a smooth, but curvy gravel road, adding a bit of time to get there.

Management

The area is administered by the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

(BLM). At the end of the Leslie Gulch road at Owyhee Lake there is a boat launching ramp. At certain times of the year the water level is below the ramp which makes putting big boats in the lake impossible; smaller boats may have to be taken to the lake by hand. Nearby is the 10-unit Slocum Creek - Leslie Gulch Campground, operated by the BLM, which is open from March through November. The road to the campground is also prone to flash floods which can wash out the road in places.

Flora

Two species of herbaceous plants are endemic to this drainage. * Ertter's ragwort ''

Senecio ertterae ''Senecio ertterae'' is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Ertter's ragwort. It is endemic to Oregon, United States.Mentzelia packardiae ''Mentzelia packardiae'' is a species of flowering plant in the Loasaceae known by the common names Packard's blazingstar and Packard's stickleaf. It is native to the western United States, where it is known from a small area in Oregon and Nevada ...

'' Other rare plants found here are grimy ivesia, sterile milkvetch, and Owyhee

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

Wildlife

A herd of

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

was established there in 1965. It now consists of more than 200 animals.

Mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

bobcats The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

Rocky Mountain elk The Rocky Mountain elk (''Cervus canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of elk found in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges of Western North America. Habitat The winter ranges are most common in open forests and floodplain marshes in the lo ...

, and

rattlesnakes Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anima ...

are also resident in the gulch. Many species of birds live here, including

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...

, chukar,

hawks Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily a ...

and swifts.

Rock climbing

The area's impressive rock formations have also drawn the interest of area

rock climbers Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

over the years. The volcanic tuff is very similar to, but not as solid as, the rock found at Oregon's more famous climbing area Smith Rock. There are more than 80 established climbing routes at Leslie Gulch. The majority of these routes are sport climbs but there are a few traditional climbs, as well. Juniper Gulch wide view

Many of the sport climbing routes found in the area rely on artificially manufactured holds. The so-called "Einstein" and "Asylum" walls, in particular, are home to many routes composed almost entirely of human-drilled pockets. This activity was responsible for a moratorium on route development and

BLM BLM most commonly refers to: * Black Lives Matter, an international anti-racism movement and organization * Bureau of Land Management, a U.S. federal government agency BLM may also refer to: Organizations * BLM (law firm), United Kingdom and ...

plans for bolt removal. However, the bolts have remained and the BLM has allowed climbing to continue.Leslie Gulch Climbing Information
/ref>

References

External links

with photos
BLM brochure on Leslie Gulch
* YouTube Videos of the are

Photos

* Flickr Pictur

{{authority control Owyhee Desert Bureau of Land Management areas in Oregon Landforms of Malheur County, Oregon Protected areas of Malheur County, Oregon Canyons and gorges of Oregon