The Umatilla National Forest offers a variety of trail systems for back-country horse riding. To avoid encounters with motorized travelers, check out our trails in any of the three designated Wilderness Areas located on the Forest.
The Umatilla National Forest offers a variety of trail systems for back-country horse riding. To avoid encounters with motorized travelers, check out our trails in any of the three designated Wilderness Areas located on the Forest.
The Heppner Ranger District is located in Heppner, Oregon. The District embraces 212,213 acres of the beautiful Blue Mountains, which includes portions of Grant, Morrow, Umatilla, and Wheeler Counties. There are approximately 500 miles of open roads to travel on, 27 miles of trails to hike, and 248 miles of streams that flow into 3 major rivers within Eastern Oregon.
The North Fork John Day District is 465,000 acres in the heart of the Blue Mountains. Diversity and complexity are key words in management of this land and its abundant resources. Plant communities range from juniper/sage/bunch grass at the 2,600 feet elevation in the Potamus Creek area to subalpine fir/whitebark pine habitats at the 8,000 feet elevation near Vinegar Hill in the Greenhorn Mountain Scenic Area
This trail begins at Forks Trailhead adjacent to Forks Guard Station, south of Forest Service Road 52 on Forest Service Road 5225. The 6.8 mile trail is within North Fork John Day Wilderness. The trail heads south to end at Forest Service Road 5225 near Silver Butte.
From Ukiah, OR, travel about 23 miles to Forest Road 5226/5225 junction. Turn right (south) onto Forest Road 5225 and travel about 4.5 miles south to Miners Cabin Trailhead.
From Granite, OR head north on Forest Road 73 for 8.6 miles. Then continue northwest on Forest Road 52 for about 17 miles. Then turn left (south) on Forest Road 5225 and travel about 5 miles to Miner's Cabin Trailhead.
Directions:From Ukiah, OR, travel about 23 miles to Forest Road 5226/5225 junction. Turn right (south) onto Forest Road 5225 and travel about 7.5 miles south to Moon Meadows. The trailhead is located on the left side of the road where there is an information board. Farther along the un-numbered road to the left is a rustic outhouse.
From Granite, OR, head north on Forest Road 73 for 8.6 miles. Then continue northwest on Forest Road 52 for about 17 miles. Then turn left (south) on Forest Road 5225 and travel about 7.5 miles to the Moon Meadow Trailhead, about 4.5 miles beyond Forks Guard Station.
This trail begins at Forest Service Road 45, just before it crosses the South Fork Desolation Creek and ends at the junction of the Blue Mountain Trail #6141 and Lost Creek Trail #3002, at the southern border of the Greenhorn Unit of the North Fork John Day Wilderness.
The Pomeroy Ranger District, the northern-most District of the Umatilla National Forest, is located within the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. These mountains are made up of high plateaus, deeply cut by an intricate system of steep-walled, rim-rock canyons, offering excellent views of the canyons and area surrounding them.
Cross Canyon Trail is open to foot and horse traffic only, since it is located within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. The trail begins at Cross Canyon Trailhead and descends gradually with switchbacks to the Wenaha River which offers spectacular views. Practice Leave-No-Trace camping ethics. Pack all garbage out.
The trail is rocky in areas and may beovergrown. Due to budget cuts this trail may not maintained.
Alert: The lower section of this trail may have rattlesnakes so be extremely careful. Many camping and fishing opportunities are available. The Wenaha River must be crossed to access other trails.
This trail begins at the Elk Flats Trailhead and ends at Wenaha Forks. This trail is maintained for foot and horse traffic since it is located within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.
From Elk Flats Trailhead, the trail drops drastically for 1.5 miles to a flat, which lasts 0.5 miles, and then descends 3 miles gradually to the Wenaha Forks area on the Wenaha River.
The trail is often heavily laden with mosquitoes at the trailhead and on past the flat section along the trail. Access to the Wenaha River and to fishing opportunities are available off this trail. There are many camping sites at the Wenaha Forks area. Views of the South Fork of the Wenaha drainage are available on the lower sections of the trail. The river must be crossed to access other trails, such as the Wenaha River Trail #3106.
Practice Leave-No-Trace camping ethics. Pack all garbage out.
Hoodoo Trail is an access route to the Wenaha River area where hiking and fishing opportunities abound. The trail begins at the Hoodoo Trailhead and travels north into Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness to meet the Wenaha River Trail #3106 on the Wild and Scenic Wenaha River. It is maintained for foot and horse traffic only, and is characterized by many switchbacks, which aid the steady descent of elevation from Hoodoo to the Wenaha River.
Viewpoints along the trail offer terrific sights of the Wenaha drainage. The lower sections of the trail may have rattlesnakes, so caution is advised.
Practice Leave-No-Trace camping ethics. Pack all garbage out.
This trail is within Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. This trail begins at Kelly Camp Trailhead on Forest Service Road 4030 (Diamond Peak Road) and ends at its junctions with Low Saddle Trail #3122, First Creek Trail #3114.
This trail begins at Meadow Creek Trailhead and ends on Forest Service Road 4608 and is maintained for ATV, motorbikes, mountain bikes, foot, and horse user groups. The trail follows along Meadow Creek for 3 miles before it climbs in elevation to the Godman area.
This trail begins at Panjab Trailhead and ends at Indian Corral Area. It is well-maintained trail open to only foot and horseback travel since it is located within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.
The trail follows a gentle incline along the Panjab Creek for the first 3 miles. The next two miles climb up to the Indian Corral area where the trail evens out on the ridge top.
This trail begins at Rattlesnake Trailhead within Panjab Campground and ends at the Indian Corral area within Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. It is maintained for foot and horse use only. The trail starts off in a wooded area and climbs steadily for a mile. The next 1.5 miles is steep and rocky with many switchbacks. Towards the top, the trail evens out and follows along the ridge top to the Indian Corral area.
The Rattlesnake Trail is a lightly used trail because of its steepness and dryness. Water is available for stock at the bottom and there are springs along the ridge top.
A 13 mile loop may be made by hiking up Rattlesnake Trail to Indian Corral area, coming down the Panjab Trail #3127 to Panjab Trailhead, and traveling the main road 3 miles north back to Panjab Campground. Stock facilities are available at Panjab Trailhead. No camping with stock allowed at Panjab Campground.
Practice Leave-No-Trace camping ethics. Pack all garbage out.
This trail begins at the Sawtooth Trailhead and travels south for 14 miles through Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness to end at Wenaha River Trail #3106. It is maintained for foot and horse use only, since it is located within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. Sawtooth is maintained annually. The trail follows the Sawtooth Ridge and finally descends steep descent to the Wenaha River.
Sawtooth Trail offers seclusion into rugged areas of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. Many opportunities for spectacular views await the traveler. Alert: Portions of the trail are steep and rocky, thus it is not one of the more traveled trails.
Practice Leave-No-Trace camping ethics. Pack all garbage out.
It is maintained for foot and horse use only, since it is located within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.
The first mile of the trail winds along a ridge top. The trail then drops in elevation drastically for a half a mile. This part of the trail is steep with many switchbacks until the canyon bottom is reached. The trail then follows a gentle decline along Slick Ear Creek to the Wenaha River.
This trail is lightly used and offers access to the Wenaha River area. Parking is very limited at the trailhead. The view of the North Fork of the Wenaha drainage along Slick Ear Trail is spectacular from the top. Water is abundant for stock once the canyon bottom is reached. Practice Leave-No-Trace camping ethics. Pack all garbage out.
This 3.3 mile trail is within Crooked Creek Trail #3100 (area is unavailable). It is an access trail to the Crooked Creek Canyon. The trail descends 1700' in 3 miles, but it is well graded with many switchbacks.
Three Forks Trail is one of the first trails that opens in the spring. Because of its low elevation and southern slopes, the trail dries out quickly and becomes very dusty, but Crooked Creek at the bottom of the trail awaits to cool down travelers. The view of the Crooked Creek Canyon and the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness is breathtaking.
The access roads to the trailhead are graveled.Alert: The trail is notorious for rattlesnakes, so caution is a necessity.
This trail begins at the Bear Creek Trail #3110. (area is unavailable)
This is a well-maintained trail with the beginning portions located within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. The trail follows for 4 miles at a gentle incline along the Tucannon River until it connects with Bear Creek Trail.
The beginning of the trail is located 0.25 miles west of the Wenatchee Guard Station on Forest Service Road 43. From this location, the trail drops off the south face of the ridge into the Menatchee drainage. The first 3 miles is very steep. The remaining 5 miles follow the creek. The trail ends at West Fork Wenatchee Creek.
This trail offers a beautiful view of the Menatchee drainage. From the top, one can see the snow covered Wallowa's to the south in Oregon, and to the east the Seven Devils in Idaho. Wenatchee Trail is very steep and rugged. Once to the floor bottom, Menatchee Creek offers abundant water for stock, and there are many areas available for camping.
Practice Leave-No-Trace camping ethics. Pack all garbage out.
The Walla Walla Ranger District stretches from Dayton, WA, to the north to I-84 and Meacham, OR, to the south, Elgin, OR, and the Grande Ronde River to the east and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to the west. It includes land in five counties and two states with a broad diversity of natural resources and an equally broad diversity of users.
From Buck Creek Trailhead this more difficult trail enters North Fork Umatilla Wilderness and is open to foot and horse traffic only. It follows Buck Creek for 3.5 miles, crossing the creek once where it merges into Lake Creek Trail. Users should exercise caution on creek crossing during the spring run-off periods.
The trail is easy going as it climbs only 800’ to where it merges with Lake Creek Trail #3079. Lake Creek Trail continues approximately 2 more miles up the Lake Creek drainage before leaving the Wilderness area. Once the trail has left the wilderness area, it continues for another 2 miles until it reaches Forest Service Road #3150. This portion of the trail travels through clearcuts and burned areas.
This trail begins with at the junction with trail South Fork Walla Walla Trail #3225 and ends at Burnt Cabin Trailhead. The trail provides access to hunting, fishing, camping, and backpacking. The trail is open to hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and motorcyclists. Users can expect heavy motorcycle use on weekends during the spring and summer season.
This trail begins at Rough Fork Trailhead and ends at South Fork Walla Walla Trail #3225. The trail provides access to hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking, and a panoramic view of the upper south Fork Walla Walla River drainage.
This trail begins at a BLM trailhead, 0.75 miles past Harris County Park and ends at Deduct Pond on Forest Service Road 65-650 and provides access to hunting, fishing, camping, and backpacking.
The North Fork John Day District is 465,000 acres in the heart of the Blue Mountains. Diversity and complexity are key words in management of this land and its abundant resources. Plant communities range from juniper/sage/bunch grass at the 2,600 feet elevation in the Potamus Creek area to subalpine fir/whitebark pine habitats at the 8,000 feet elevation near Vinegar Hill in the Greenhorn Mountain Scenic Area
