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From the outside, the trail looks nondescript, just another path carved out by the Bureau of Land Management among the seas of Western juniper trees that hog the landscape. On closer inspection, the easy 2.4-mile out-and-back trail offers even more evidence of the history of our area along with protected trees that are hundreds of years old, making the trail great for both history and nature nerds who want a quick breath of fresh air close to town.

The trail is dotted with convenient benches making it great for families who need a quick jaunt outside, or for those who want to sit in the quiet of the historic High Desert trail. But like other trails in this environment, shade can be sparse and there is no water available.

This is BLM land with several other trails strewn over the area. You can add some more miles to your outing if that 2-ish-mile mark is a bit too short for you, but with the added dash of history, it makes the smaller distance worth the trip.

Blazing a trail

The wagon road is named for J.W. Petit Huntington, the Oregon . In 1864, Huntington guided a group from The Dalles to Fort Klamath along an old Native American route in order to negotiate a treaty with the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin-Paiute peoples (known collectively today as the Klamath Tribes). They were able to keep their rights to hunting, fishing and gathering, but had to cede 22 million acres to the United States. They were initially allowed to keep 1.5 million acres, but that was taken away in 1954 when the government removed the tribe鈥檚 recognition status. They regained status in 1986 but

Once the Treaty of 1864 was ratified, supplies had to be transported from the Columbia River to build the fort so they used the same route as before. Hundreds of wagons carved the land with their wheels while the military cut the trees with deep blazes to keep the pathway marked.

The trail follows a section of the

old road and has three trees where

visitors can still see those blazes

carved in the red-orange bark of the junipers.

There is also the 鈥渢arget tree鈥� at a

historic campsite located slightly

off the main trail that still bears a

few holes from their large caliber bullets.

Each of these has been designated as thanks to their ages and their historical significance.

The campsite also had several artifacts found over the years that now reside at the , which is also responsible for the trail鈥檚 interpretive signage.

In bloom

As we took in the historical information, my mom and I couldn鈥檛 get over how much of the area was blooming and showing new growth.

This wet winter has done wonders for our desert spaces, and it is on full display along the Huntington Wagon Road trail.

From the more noticeable swaths of blooming perennials like yellow buckwheat, purple penstemon and aster, to the shrubs and grasses putting on a show like the red sedge cheatgrass before it turns nasty for your furry friend鈥檚 paws.

There are also new sage and ponderosa pine starts and each juniper tree is covered in yellow-green lichens adding a surprising bevy of color to the landscape.

Close enough

Taking in so much new life in an area that is steeped in memories of the past adds a dash of profoundness that you don鈥檛 often think about when wandering through juniper-filled trails, but it is easily at your fingertips just 10 minutes from Bend.

It may not have epic views or a babbling brook to easily appease the visual sense, but there is beauty in the crooked juniper trees, in the sandy soil and basalt rock mounds along the trail, and if you go at the right time of year, the flowers that abound, washing the historic path with color.