Fremont-Winema National Forest · Oregon

Dead Cow Trail

1.9 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 141 · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 42.5624, -120.7811 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Lee Thomas Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

No fee · season 06/15 to 09/15

Provides access to : Deadhorse Rim Trail #139 , Dead Cow Trail #141 , and Lakes Trail #140 systems.

From the Lee Thomas trailhead, you can access the Dead Cow Trail #141 or trek along the Deadhorse Rim Trail #139 for six miles to Dead Horse Lake. If you want an expanded adventure, hike or ride another mile to Campbell Lake. Both lakes are beautiful high mountain lakes perfect for fishing, swimming or wading, and boating.

This trailhead is located one hour 30 minutes southwest of Paisley, Oregon one mile east of the Lee Thomas Campground . At 6300 feet in elevation, the trail is open to hikers, horseback riding, and mountain biking.

This trailhead offers two vaulted toilets and dispersed camping. There is no potable water. Visitors need to pack plenty of water. Trail and parking area maintained during open season.

Restrictions Motorized use prohibited.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Fremont-Winema National Forest

All 253 trails in Fremont-Winema National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.