23 – Leslie Gulch Boat Ramp
Leslie Gulch is a canyon in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It is on the east side of Owyhee Lake, a reservoir on the Owyhee River. Its abundant and striking rock formations are made of tuff.
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 15 miles of the gulch are on a smooth, but curvy gravel road, adding a bit of time to get there.
More Information
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Gulch
Coordinates: 43.32209, -117.32326
Elevation: 3100 ft
Difficulty: 3
What to Expect: No info
[reblex id=’779′]
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30 Check-Ins
Gorgeous other worldly rock formations for a mile straight headed in and coming back out - watch out for washout across the road - they can be very sharp and surprise you!
Malibu Stacy and I hit Succor Creek and Leslie Gulch on Sunday. Hot and dusty, and I have seen the road in better shape, but at least there weren't too many people out there 🙂
I’ve been to Leslie Gulch on the back of my husband’s bike and in vehicles a few times before but this was the first time riding my own bike. The road was challenging for me but made it there at a brisk pace. We met a couple of nice guys that were exploring the area at the boat ramp. The water wasn’t as low as we were expecting. I was tired and over heated so the trip home was a bit slower back out to the highway where I had to switch to reserve to make it to the gas station in Marsing (1.4 gallons of gas & got 70 miles to the gas), then on to Caldwell.
Was a neat area to see. I have always wanted to go out here. Now I can say I did.
This road may have been a 3 at one time but I don't think it is anymore. Definitely a 2. Spectacular scenery and a place I'd want to go exploring with my hiking shoes instead of motocross boots.
I hadn't been to Leslie Gulch for 16 years, the last time was with my family to do some hiking. A beautiful area for sure!
Great ride down to the boat launch, make sure to take your time getting down though, for one- to see the views, but 2- huge truck-trailering boat rigs can pop out around corners without warning. I went on a Saturday so it was pretty busy.
Cool place would like to see more of it from a boat sometime. I wonder how the fishing is.
Such a magical place to ride! Stunning rock formations and the hills were so green. Rode with pals and this location was a favorite.
The weather was beautiful and with the reservoir at full capacity there were a lot of rafters but the ride was awesome.
Leslie Gulch is always one of my fav. places to visit. Great ride in with friends on 04/29/24. Lots of boaters, campers, and fishermen for a Monday afternoon. Took numerous side trails to add some adventure on our way to the boat ramp
Forever and a day I have wanted an excuse to come down here and it was well worth the wait. Gorgeous rock formations. Nice ride. When linked to Succor makes for a longish trip on a pretty well graded gravel road.
This is one of my favorite places. It’s quite a trip on a dirt road. Amazing scenery.
Also visited this site on Dan’s ride. Was lucky enough the have someone leading the way so I could take in the amazing views of the rock formations on the way in.
Went on Dan's ride. This was stop 2. Haven't been here in years, always a beautiful place. There are so many rock formations to see, everything was spring green. Good ride in, freshly graded but not too lose or soft yet.
The Owyhee Reservoir was full; sometimes the reservoir goes 10 years without filling so this was a great site to see. The views coming in are spectacular.
The road to Leslie Gulch is very scenic and beautiful. The roads were well grated and in good shape, so I'm rating this a 2 but keep in mind if could be more difficult at other times. There were a few water crossings along the way.
This was a part of Dan's ride, and we stopped here for snacks a a pit stop.
The lake is full, quite a few rafters coming out when we were going in. everything is green and the road is in good shape right now.
was a bit busy because I hit it on a weekend. Great views though.. the road was in okay shape just your typical washboards
This was a smooth and easy ride in. We came in from succor creek and added a few offshoot trails to add a little excitement. Only challeng I can say was the first mile or two of Succor creek that had golfball sized rocks as road gravel. That was a bit loose to ride, but not terrible. The views and rock formations are amazing. I can't wait to come back here and camp.
Hit this site on 4/12. Enjoyed a nice snack on the boat ramp with my riding buddies. The scenery on this ride is amazing with the rock formations on either side of the trail on the way down. The water flow/level is very high right now. I suggest coming down through Succor Creek for a scenic ride.
Gorgeous other worldly rock formations for a mile straight headed in and coming back out – watch out for washout across the road – they can be very sharp and surprise you!
Malibu Stacy and I hit Succor Creek and Leslie Gulch on Sunday. Hot and dusty, and I have seen the road in better shape, but at least there weren’t too many people out there 🙂
Love it every time we come here.
I’ve been to Leslie Gulch on the back of my husband’s bike and in vehicles a few times before but this was the first time riding my own bike. The road was challenging for me but made it there at a brisk pace. We met a couple of nice guys that were exploring the area at the boat ramp. The water wasn’t as low as we were expecting. I was tired and over heated so the trip home was a bit slower back out to the highway where I had to switch to reserve to make it to the gas station in Marsing (1.4 gallons of gas & got 70 miles to the gas), then on to Caldwell.
Spectacular canyon ride.
Was a neat area to see. I have always wanted to go out here. Now I can say I did.
This road may have been a 3 at one time but I don’t think it is anymore. Definitely a 2. Spectacular scenery and a place I’d want to go exploring with my hiking shoes instead of motocross boots.
What a nice area
Memorial Day ride
Busy place on Sunday
I hadn’t been to Leslie Gulch for 16 years, the last time was with my family to do some hiking. A beautiful area for sure!
Busy there today, lots of rafts coming out
Great ride down to the boat launch, make sure to take your time getting down though, for one- to see the views, but 2- huge truck-trailering boat rigs can pop out around corners without warning. I went on a Saturday so it was pretty busy.
Well worth the trip down. First time for me, way cool!
Cool place would like to see more of it from a boat sometime. I wonder how the fishing is.
I really enjoyed all the cool rock formations all the way down.
Such a magical place to ride! Stunning rock formations and the hills were so green. Rode with pals and this location was a favorite.
The weather was beautiful and with the reservoir at full capacity there were a lot of rafters but the ride was awesome.
Leslie Gulch is always one of my fav. places to visit. Great ride in with friends on 04/29/24. Lots of boaters, campers, and fishermen for a Monday afternoon. Took numerous side trails to add some adventure on our way to the boat ramp
Forever and a day I have wanted an excuse to come down here and it was well worth the wait. Gorgeous rock formations. Nice ride. When linked to Succor makes for a longish trip on a pretty well graded gravel road.
This is one of my favorite places. It’s quite a trip on a dirt road. Amazing scenery.
Windy day
Also visited this site on Dan’s ride. Was lucky enough the have someone leading the way so I could take in the amazing views of the rock formations on the way in.
Went on Dan’s ride. This was stop 2. Haven’t been here in years, always a beautiful place. There are so many rock formations to see, everything was spring green. Good ride in, freshly graded but not too lose or soft yet.
The Owyhee Reservoir was full; sometimes the reservoir goes 10 years without filling so this was a great site to see. The views coming in are spectacular.
The road to Leslie Gulch is very scenic and beautiful. The roads were well grated and in good shape, so I’m rating this a 2 but keep in mind if could be more difficult at other times. There were a few water crossings along the way.
This was a part of Dan’s ride, and we stopped here for snacks a a pit stop.
The lake is full, quite a few rafters coming out when we were going in. everything is green and the road is in good shape right now.
was a bit busy because I hit it on a weekend. Great views though.. the road was in okay shape just your typical washboards
This was a smooth and easy ride in. We came in from succor creek and added a few offshoot trails to add a little excitement. Only challeng I can say was the first mile or two of Succor creek that had golfball sized rocks as road gravel. That was a bit loose to ride, but not terrible. The views and rock formations are amazing. I can’t wait to come back here and camp.
Do you have a GPX file for this trip? I’m looking to head down there next week. Trying to decide if I should take the adventure bike.
Hit this site on 4/12. Enjoyed a nice snack on the boat ramp with my riding buddies. The scenery on this ride is amazing with the rock formations on either side of the trail on the way down. The water flow/level is very high right now. I suggest coming down through Succor Creek for a scenic ride.
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