Forest Information
The Malheur National Forest is located in eastern Oregon and consists
of 1,465,396 acres. There are 26 developed campgrounds
of which 10 meet the selection criteria.
Malheur National Forest is a little forest that does recreation
well. With a wide variety of landscape, ranging from grasslands,
sage, and juniper, forests of pine, fir, and other species of
trees, to beautiful alpine lakes and meadows, the Malheur offers
visitors many recreational opportunities. Some of the activities
are hiking, biking, and fishing, and campgrounds well-suited to
car, tent, and recreation vehicle (RV) camping enthusiasts.
The Malheur National Forest includes some of the Blue Mountains
and most of the Strawberry Mountains. These mountains hold
several alpine lakes and high mountain meadows that are hidden
gems. Possibly the most popular hike in the whole forest is to
one of these alpine lakes called Strawberry Lake, which is
located in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness south of Prairie
City, Oregon. Visitors can access Strawberry Lake only by foot
via a trail out of the little tent-only Strawberry campground
(with only nine campsites it is not included in this campground
review). After about an hour of hiking, then around a bend, and
the clear pristine sapphire blue of Strawberry Lake appears.
Ideal for a picnic lunch and a little afternoon trout fishing, it
is little wonder why Strawberry Lake is so very popular.
Almost as attractive as Strawberry Lake but far easier to reach is
Magone Lake. North of John Day, Oregon, Magone Lake features an
attractive little campground well-suited to campers in an RV,
tent, or car. Formed by a landslide before the first Europeans
came to the area, the story goes Major Magone initially stocked
the lake when he brought two buckets of brook trout to the lake.
Whether completely true or not, Magone Lake is a very
popular fishing location with both humans and ospreys. Other
wildlife, such as beavers, muskrat, blue heron, and more, also
enjoy Magone Lake's bounty. Campers find ample shade, cooler
temperatures, good boating and water-play opportunities at Magone
Lake. Overall, this 50-acres lake has a lot to offer its two and
four-legged visitors.
With a peaceful, tranquil and open feeling far from the crowds,
Middle Fork campground offers a level of solitude more often
found in a wilderness. The Middle Fork of John Day River is
another draw for many to this campground. With a similar
atmosphere but no fishing opportunity and adjacent to the well
traveled US Rt. 26, is Dixie campground. This campground, in a
dense stand of mixed conifers, meanders over a hillside far
enough away from the highway to avoid all traffic noise. Another
campground that might be considered good for transient campers of
all types is Idlewild. North of Burns on US Rt. 395, Idlewild
campground abounds with pull-throughs for RV enthusiasts and
many back-ins for car campers. Additional attractions at
Idlewild are several trails for both hikers and mountain bikers,
and the Firefighters Memorial garden.
To provide the best recreation opportunities possible,
the Malheur National Forest works hard at maintaining healthy,
robust, and viable forest ecosystems. One way they do this is
working with local ranchers carefully to manage permits on
meadows and open range grazing. It is normal to find free
ranging cattle grazing on the Malheur National Forest. Drivers
should always drive with this in mind.
While the Malheur National Forest does have a lot of recreation,
there are many non-forest sights to see and things to do in the
area. One of the larger attractions is the Sheep Rock section of
the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Others possible
sightseeing opportunities from the Forest's campgrounds that
deserve mention are: Murderers Creek Wild Horse Territory, the
Murderers Creek's historic Guard Station (built in 1906), Cedar
Grove home of Alaskan Cedar, the Wild and Scenic North Fork of
Malheur River, and Kam Wah Chung State Historic Site (former
Chinese apothecary) where the living history exhibits show life
in John Day's Chinese community at the turn of the 20th century.
There are also a variety of community-sponsored sights to enjoy
like the DeWitt Museum in Prairie City and a major Quilt Show in
Burns. (Check the communities' website for dates and more
information.)
While Malheur National Forest isn't as large in area as many
forests, it does have almost as much to do as much larger
national forests. Camping, hiking, biking, swimming, boating,
fishing, and so many more recreational opportunities await
visitors to the little Malheur National Forest.
ADDRESSES
SUPERVISOR ADDRESS
POB 909
John Day, Oregon 97845
541-575-3000
RANGER DISTRICT ADDRESSES
Emigrant Creek
265 Highway 20 South
Hines, Oregon 97738
541-573-4300
Prairie City
POB 337
Prairie City, Oregon 97869
541-820-3800
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