The Owyhee Uplands National Country Byway, known locally as the Mud Flat Road or the Hundred Mile Road, is the preliminary access to central Owyhee County. From there, many rough roads and hiking routes enter more remote zones. Please stay on designated roads and trails and avoid using motor vehicles in wet and muddy areas.
This set of caches are maintained by the League of Idaho Geocachers. The League's email handles hundreds of notifications every day. Therefore we read all "Did not find", "Write note" and "Needs maintenance" logs but do not have time to read all the "found it" logs. We encourage you to use cut and paste logs if you like (really we don't mind) on the caches numbered 0002 through 0700 but post your thoughts, favorites, positive comments, photos, Mega-Trail stories, and whatever you want us to read on the first cache, "0001 Owyhee Uplands Byway." We will read all logs of any type from this first cache.
Another project in partnership with the BLM, the Trail itself follows the main road with caches positioned generally on the north side of the road. Cachers will find traveling the trail from Grand View, ID to Jordan Valley, OR to be the most workable direction for logging the trail. The road traverses relatively flat to gentle rolling topography, but short grades of up to 12% are encountered in a few places. The Byway is impassible from late November through March due to snow. Precipitation can make the road treacherously slick, so cachers should use caution during inclement weather. Please keep vehicles on the roadway and in keeping with the geocaching vision if you see trash pack it out if possible.
There are amenities at both ends of the 106 mile Byway. Cachers should be sure to take the following supplies:
- Plenty of Gasoline
- A properly inflated spare tire, lug wrench and jack
- Bottled water, don't drink from streams without treating water
- Extra food and clothing for inclement weather
- Camera, binoculars and field guides
- First Aid Kit
- Flashlight
All caches have been placed on BLM property. If you are considering exploring the high desert and terrain of the Owyhee Uplands we suggest you obtain a Surface Management Status Map (Triangle 1:100,000 scale, available from BLM, showing land ownership). Please note: There are many private parcels of land along the Byway. Please respect private property by having the right maps and equipment to avoid trespassing.
This is the high desert and scenery is at its finest. You will find Mountain Juniper and Mahogany forests and rim-rocked plateaus covered with sagebrush, bunchgrass and spotted with Aspen. Many animals call the high desert home, there are more than 180 bird and mammal species. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of a bobcat, deer, antelope, cougar, coyote, bighorn sheep, beaver, or badger.
The Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway is in southwest Idaho, 75 miles south of Boise. The byway begins near Grand View and travels west for 106 miles. It ends south of Jordan Valley, Oregon off US 95. Owyhee Uplands follows Deep Creek-Mud Flat Road, which is a narrow, gravel road. There is only one campground located directly along the byway, the primitive BLM-operated North Fork Campground. The BLM also maintains Cove Campground, just a few miles south of the byway's eastern end. This campground offers 26 units for tents and recreational vehicles and also has drinking water, shower facilities, and restrooms. The BLM does permit dispersed camping nearly anywhere on BLM land. Hotels can be found in Grand View, ID and Jordan Valley, OR near either end of the Byway.
We from the League wish you all the best. Have a safe adventure!