Deep in Oregon’s southeast corner sits an immense tract of jagged rock formations, sagebrush steppe and strikingly colored desert known as the Owyhee Canyonlands. This is Oregon’s “Grand Canyon” – one of the largest unprotected roadless areas in the continental United States — and it contains hundreds of miles of wild and scenic rivers and a geological beauty that rivals desert lands that many Oregonian’s believe only exist in southern Utah.

These photographs were taken during a trip to Leslie Gulch in late June. We were blessed to see quite a bit of wildlife, including group of Big Horn Sheep—a rare sight that is testament to the wildness of this area and the need for its protection.