Joseph Branch Trail

06/02/2026

Check out this stellar program from friends of the trail Building Healthy Families and Wallowa Mountains Bicycle Club!

Scan their QR to get these bikes out in the community and save the date for the Bike Rodeo coming up soon on June 13th!

Know a kiddo needing a bicycle?!?

Over the past few months, Building Healthy Families and the Wallowa Mountains Bicycle Club have been partnering on fixing up gently used bicycles for kids in our community. We now have a good number in storage and hope to disperse free of charge!

Scan the QR code on the flyer to fill out the form and we can get you rolling the day of the Bike Rodeo! Limited quantities and sizes available

06/01/2026

Read the May 2026 edition of the JBTC e-newsletter at the link below!

Just a few days after this e-news landed in member inboxes last week, we already have a great lead on a riding lawn mower for Tony! This community of supporters is always coming through for the trail and our work in big ways. Thank you!

Read the whole message and reach out via the trail user survey link to get involved in ongoing trail monitoring and maintenance!

https://mailchi.mp/5c8a62c9132c/2026_jbtc_enews-may-2026-18084083?e=a22dee31fe

05/27/2026

I spy with my little eye…an Osprey nest along the Joseph Branch Trail in Wallowa. As we welcome the Osprey back to the Wallowa Valley this spring we welcome new trial users and community connections too!

Pictured here, JBTC Project Coordinator Mary Hawkins talks plans for continued connection with members of the Wallowa Lions Club. The Joseph Branch Trail in Wallowa currently connects the Lions Park to the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland - linking two wonderful existing community spaces with a safe off-road path.

05/06/2026

Next time you're headed out on the trail in Elgin be sure to stop in and visit our friends at the Elgin History Museum just a few blocks away!

We’re coming out of hibernation… 🌿
The Elgin Museum is back for spring with a full month of history, community, and connection.
📅 Join us all May for our Spring History Series—presentations, desserts & coffee days, and stories that bring our past to life.

🕰 Thurs–Sat | 10–4 and for special events.
💛 Events by donation, unless otherwise noted.

04/27/2026

What an excellent community offering! Join the Walk Club all throughout the county and be sure to check out the Wallowa City Section of the Joseph Branch Trail during the morning walk on Tuesday May 12th. Meet at the Pocket Park at 9 a.m. Location linked here!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JUkU9E7B9VWenTLh9

Come walk with other Wallowa County parents! Kids are welcome, or come solo if you need a break.

Check out all the details on the parent guild website: www.parentguildwc.org/walk-club or join our strava group for all the latest info: https://www.strava.com/clubs/wallowacountyparentswalkclub

04/10/2026

We hope to see some of you in Wallowa tomorrow!

Our community partners in Wallowa at the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland are hosting their annual Spring Volunteer Work Day at the Homeland Grounds April 11th. Please plan to join in stewarding the Homeland grounds from 9 a.m. - noon on Saturday April 11th - lunch will be provided!

Volunteers will help with leaf and litter removal, planting, seeding, weeding, cleaning and maintenance at the Joseph Branch Trail Pocket Park, and more!

Please bring your own tools! RSVPs are encouraged at the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehBmtp6MMoWzdAdG6gHj21HYG8A1FBlhm7h2zZU4plzRUkIg/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ6N59leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkbmozY2VXSnJ1SGZnU3Foc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgYcgurzzdDSD97m4swaJqwtp3vQcDz-rEB6hm5_3-Px_blPGaP8YbgaZ1uA_aem_Crbf8lTH05f0XDTmHcbp8Q

04/07/2026

In March 2026, our staff, board, and volunteers helped serve more than 300 meals at a Joseph Community Dinner, brought a Building Healthy Families youth program to the trail in Wallowa, presented our work to the Wallowa County Rotary Club, hosted collaborative online sessions with partners across Oregon to better understand trail development and rural land use, and submitted four additional grant applications to support trail advocacy and expansion. What a month! Follow the link below to read the March 2026 JBTC e-newsletter and learn more about what is next for the trail!

https://mailchi.mp/ddc6172aaf5c/february_2026_jbtc_enews-march-26?e=a22dee31fe

04/01/2026

Our community partners in Wallowa at the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland are hosting their annual Spring Volunteer Work Day at the Homeland Grounds April 11th. Please plan to join in stewarding the Homeland grounds from 9 a.m. - noon on Saturday April 11th - lunch will be provided!

Volunteers will help with leaf and litter removal, planting, seeding, weeding, cleaning and maintenance at the Joseph Branch Trail Pocket Park, and more!

Please bring your own tools! RSVPs are encouraged at the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehBmtp6MMoWzdAdG6gHj21HYG8A1FBlhm7h2zZU4plzRUkIg/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ6N59leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkbmozY2VXSnJ1SGZnU3Foc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgYcgurzzdDSD97m4swaJqwtp3vQcDz-rEB6hm5_3-Px_blPGaP8YbgaZ1uA_aem_Crbf8lTH05f0XDTmHcbp8Q

03/25/2026

Happy local families on the trail in Wallowa! :)

Please consider a one-time or monthly donation to support the trail at josephbranchtrail.org/donatetojbtc

Thank you!

01/12/2026

https://mailchi.mp/ef2af7a3c325/boc-decision-re-refinement-plan-jan-08-2026-18081848?e=a22dee31fe

Now, we continue the work we’ve started TOGETHER. We will demonstrate the community health and economic benefits brought by accessible outdoor recreation and multimodal transportation on existing trail sections in Union and Wallowa Counties. We will continue to add initial sections where zoning and adjacent owners are opportune, and we will not lose sight of a long-range vision of paths connecting eastern Oregon communities. We remain extremely grateful to the City of Wallowa for their integrity and valiant leadership in this effort. With their vision, and funding in hand from various sources (including many of you!), we are poised to improve existing trail sections, pedestrian connections and pocket parks in 2026!

Well, friend, Commissioners Collier and Hayward shared their decision last night regarding adding the Minam-to-Wallowa Trail-with-Rail Refinement Plan (AMD #25-01) to the County Transportation Systems Plan (TSP). They voted TO DENY the City of Wallowa’s request and thereby NOT ADOPT the amendment....