Bear/Cuprum Area, Council Ranger District

The Bear/Cuprum area is on the Council Ranger District.  Access to the area is via the Council-Cuprum (FSR #002) road.  As you travel the Council-Cuprum road, it will form a Y split with FSR #105 – stay left on FSR #002 road to reach Cuprum – stay right and follow FSR #105 to Bear.

Another access road into the area is from Hells Canyon up the Kleinschmidt Grade (FSR #050).  As the name suggests, this is a steep and narrow road with big drop offs.  The road climbs 2,200 feet in less than 5 miles, and is not advisable for RVs, trailers, or motorhomes.  The scenery on the drive is incredible, with views of the Oregon Wallowa Mountains.  The road climbs quickly and is a way to get out of the heat and into the cool mountain air at the base of Seven Devils Mountains.  At the base of the grade, it is approximately a 43 mile trip to Council. When you reach Cuprum via the Kleinschmidt Grade, you have traveled about 10 miles and gained about 2,600 feet. The terrain around Cuprum if forested with creeks and meadows.

From Cuprum you can visit Sheep Rock and Horse Mountain Lookout, 13 miles out of Cuprum. FSR #106 goes to Kinney Point and Sheep Rock, two excellent overlooks.

Sheep Rock (6,886 feet in elevation), which was designated a national landmark, has an interpretive trail that is typically full of wildflower in the spring to early summer months.

Black Lake is another scenic area with camping and trails accessing the Seven Devils Mountains.