Viewing Wildlife

Viewing Wildlife Areas

• Big Creek Campground
• Big Creek/Summit Prairie Trail #B5053
• Billy Fields Campground
• Craft Cabin Trail #319
• Crane Creek Trail #5024
• Crescent Campground
• Deer Creek Guard Station
• Delintment Lake Campground

  Delintment Lake Campground provides a wide variety of recreation facilities and activities for the whole family.  The campground has 29 campsites, a group camping area, a natural non-motorized boat launch, beach area, fishing pier, 12 picnic sites, water, and hosts on site during the summer months.  Hike the trail along the banks or fish from the dam or pier.

  The two loop campground offers camping sites near the shore as well as higher on the bank.  The road access is paved up to the campground from Burns, Oregon.  Please pack out what you pack in, no trash service is provided. 

  Public should be aware warmer weather can bring blue-green algae blooms to lakes. Please read the attached information for what to look for and what to do should you encounter a blue-green algae bloom.

• Emigrant Campground
• FL Springs Trail #B-5065
• Horseshoe Trail #363
• Devine Summit Trail #318
• Logan Valley Interpretive Site
• Magone Lake Trail #352
• Magone Slide Trail #353

  This 1.5 mile trail is a relatively quiet in spite of its location close to the Magone Lake Recreation Area. The trail ascends slightly over 300 feet through old ponderosa pine stands which were growing when the slide occurred that created Magone Lake about 1860.  The trail makes a great hike to warm up after a swim, or for those interested in seeing an interesting geological feature. Within walking distance of Magone Lake Campground this is a great trail for campers or day use visitors.

• Malheur River Trail #303

  Follow the Malheur River Trail as it traverses along the steep canyon walls before dropping to scenic river banks of the Malheur Wild and Scenic River, lined with old growth pine, larch, and fir trees.  Designated as a Wild and Scenic River this remote trail provides travelers with unrivaled rugged beauty as well as solitude.  Stop and fish for red band trout or look for eagles and osprey while negotiating this 7.6 mile trail.

  This is not a loop trail.  Visitors beginning at the Malheur River Trailhead will have a steep hike up out of the canyon to Hog Flat Trailhead.  The trail receives light use and has not been maintained.  Watch for rattlesnakes in the summer and fall.  The trail is open to hiking and stock use only no OHV or bicycles are allowed on this trail. 

  Printable Trail Map

• McClellan Trailhead
• Monument Rock Wilderness: Malheur

  Wilderness Stewardship Performance

  At the southernmost edge of the Blue Mountains, this area's alpine, once-glaciated ridges offer views across much of eastern Oregon. The lichen-covered 8-foot cylindrical stone monument atop Monument Rock may have been erected by pioneer sheepherders. This is a new Wilderness in the old landscape of the eastern Strawberry Mountains. Established in 1984 by the Oregon Wilderness Act, the 19,620-acre Wilderness spills from the Malheur National Forest onto the adjacent Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The northern end of the area lies across a watershed divide that separates drainages of the South Fork Burnt River, as well as two National Forests. The area ranges from about 5,200 feet in the lower regions to the 7,815-foot top of Table Rock.

  In the lower lands you will find ponderosa pine, depending on where you go. You may also find lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, white fir, aspen, and juniper. If you look down, you will probably see elk sedge, pinegrass, wheatgrass, huckleberry, bluegrass, and many wildflowers. As you hike higher, you will find subalpine fir, just below the treeless mountain crests.

  The area's diverse wildlife habitat is used by bear, deer, elk, badgers, and the rare wolverine. There are 70 species of birds including the creek-loving water ouzel (American dipper) and the pileated woodpecker. The visiting season here generally runs between June and November. The John Day Valley funnels winter storms and summer thundershowers to the mountain ridges here. As a result the area receives 40 inches of annual precipitation, twice as much as the surrounding, arid lowlands. Summer brings hot days and chilly nights. Hunting is the most popular activity, with hiking and backpacking increasing in popularity.

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• Table Rock Trail #365
• Murderer's Creek Guard Station
• Myrtle Creek Trail #308
• Nipple Butte Trail #346
• North Fork Malheur Campground
• North Fork Malheur Trail #381
• Riley Creek Trail #216
• Sheep Creek Trail #371
• Short Creek Guard Station
• Slide Horse Camp
• Starr Campground
• Strawberry Campground
• Strawberry Mountain Wilderness

  Wilderness Stewardship Performance

  The Strawberry Mountain Wilderness is located east of John Day, Oregon, in the Malheur National Forest. The area includes approximately 68,700 acres and encompasses the headwaters of Pine, Indian, Strawberry, Canyon, Bear, Lake, Wall, Roberts, and Big Creek. The area is dominated by the Strawberry Mountain Range with the highest point being Strawberry Mountain. This area has extremely diverse ecological makeup. Five of the seven major life zones in North America can be found here. It also supports native population of Rocky Mountain Elk and other wildlife. The additions including the Canyon Creek Research Natural Area have improved both the quantity and the quality of the wilderness experience.

  The complex geological story of this landscape began millions of years ago with the buckling of an ancient sea floor beneath the area where the western part of the Strawberry Range now rises. Much later, volcanic ash and lava formed the eastern part of the range. Most recently, the glacial ice carved its classic signature--U-shaped valleys--into the mountains. The ice also hollowed out the rock beds that today hold the seven alpine lakes of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness--rare pleasures in the arid wilderness experience.

  In a normal year, most people use the Wilderness between July and November. Snow may be encountered at higher elevations any time of the year. The climate from September is mostly mild, with clear skies. Summertime thunderstorms may occur, usually in cycles lasting several days. Daytime temperatures normally range between 30 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit; nights are cool. Freezing temperatures can occur any time of the year. When you go to the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, be prepared for hiking in the high country. The land is rugged, and elevations range from 4,000 to the 9,038-foot summit of Strawberry Mountain. Over a hundred miles of trails cross the wilderness, offering vista after vista to the enterprising hiker. 

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• Big Creek Trail #377

  This trail provides access to the south side of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.  The trail climbs in elevation roughly 2300 feet in 5 miles of hiking.  Visitors will see beautiful wildflowers in the spring, multiple species of birds as well as many other forest creatures.  The trail connects to Skyline Trail #385 which connects to other trails allowing for backpacking and loop hikes of longer distances. Camping is possible all along the trail with good opportunities for solitude. Water is scarce from mid-summer on. The trail passes through areas that were burned in wildfires. 

  Big Creek Trail Brochure

• Canyon Mountain Trail #218
• Joaquin Miller Trail #219
• Meadow Fork Trail #376
• Pine Creek Trail #201

  This trail provides access to the backbone of the Strawberry Mountains within Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.  Hores back riders and hikers can enjoy this trail set amongst Ponderosa Pines in the wilderness.  Hikers and horse back riders can each enjoy a day hike or connect to other trails in the wilderness for longer multiday hikes and rides.  The trail was burned over in 2015, visitors should be prepared for downed trees and other hazards.  This dirt surface trail has an 800 foot elevation gain. 

• Pine Creek Trailhead
• Roads End
• Skyline Trail #385

  This trail leads along the backbone of the Strawberry Mountains, in the eastern end of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. It allows access to the upper end of the Big Creek drainage and to both Slide Lake and High Lake. This trail is used primarily by big game hunters and horse users. The west end of the trail was burned in a 1990 fire.

  Skyline Trail Brochure

• Slide Lake Trail #5007
• Little Strawberry Trail #5003
• Tamarack Creek Trail #202
• Sumpter Valley Interpretive Trail #260
• Trout Farm Trail #370
• Vinegar Hill Indian Rock Scenic Area

  Located in the northeast part of the Forest, this high elevation area provides spectacular vistas of the North Fork John Day Wilderness, the Middle and North Fork drainages of the John Day River, and the peaks of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness to the south. The area has a rich history and active and decaying remains of mines can be seen. The area provides unfettered opportunities for solitude and isolation except during big-game hunting seasons.

• Sunrise Butte Trail #255
• Tempest Mine Trail #256
• Yellowjacket Campground