The route is on existing trails and across tracts of public land—mostly Bureau of Land Management, much of it wilderness study area. The west end of the trail is on the northern border of Oregon Badlands Wilderness and heads south. It meanders widely to take in public land throughout southeastern Oregon: Diablo Peak, Fremont National Forest, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Steens Mountain, the Pueblo Mountains, the Trout Creek Mountains, and the Owyhee River Wilderness. It passes through the tiny cities of Christmas Valley, Paisley, Plush, Frenchglen, Fields, McDermitt, Rome, and Adrian. The trail runs South East from Central Oregon, towards Lakeview. It touches on the Oregon-Nevada border at of Denio, Nevada and again at McDermitt, Nevada. The route zigzags eastward to within of the southeastern state corner while following the West Little Owyhee River downstream and then turns northward as it merges to form the Owyhee River. The trail's ends are west-northwest to east-southeast (96° true) of each other by . The route was developed by the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA).