Activities
Lower Crooked River
The Chimney Rock segment of the Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River is increasingly popular for all kinds of recreationists. Thousands of people visit each year to enjoy the incredible fishing, camping, and scenic views. The area provides for many types of recreation activities, including: camping, fishing, hiking, and driving, or bicycling on the Crooked River Backcountry Byway. The Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River has 2,300 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and approximately 220 acres managed by the Bureau of Reclamation. The river meanders through a rugged canyon that includes towering basalt cliffs up to 600 feet high.
Lower Deschutes River
The Lower Deschutes River is an increasingly popular river for all kinds of recreationists. Thousands of people visit each year to enjoy its incredible fishing, exciting whitewater, and beautiful scenery. The river offers a variety of opportunities for both day and overnight trips. The most popular types of recreation include fishing, hunting, boating, mountain biking, and hiking.
To reserve or purchase a Lower Deschutes River Boater Pass, visit http://www.boaterpass.com/
John Day River
From its headwaters to Camas Creek, the North Fork of the John Day River is one of the most important rivers in northeast Oregon for the production of anadromous fish. Wildlife found along the river's corridor include mule deer, elk, and black bears, along with peregrine falcons and bald eagles.
Recreation opportunities include hunting, fishing, sightseeing, horseback riding, hiking, snowmobiling, skiing, camping, and whitewater rafting. more>>
To reserve or purchase a John Day River Boater Pass, please visit the John Day River Permit System.
Off-Highway Vehicles
Central Oregon offers premier destinations for riding/driving off-highway vehicles. Please visit the Combined Off-Highway Vehicle Operations (COHVOPS) website for all the information you need to know, before you go. The website provides maps of Central Oregon OHV areas, current trail and weather conditions, equipment requirements, and lots of additional background information.
COHVOPS manages OHV opportunities on the Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management and the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests.
Oregon Badlands Wilderness
A venture into the Oregon Badlands Wilderness is an experience of ancient junipers, volcanic vistas, and sand underfoot. You can explore cracked volcanic pressure ridges, called tumuli, or walk narrow moat-like cracks in the ground. Traces of human history are visible to the careful observer. At 29,000 acres, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness represents an outstanding example of ancient western juniper woodlands atop Columbia River Basalts. Almost 50 miles of trails offer the visitor many opportunities for hiking or horseback riding loops of various lengths. As a designated wilderness, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness enjoys the highest level of permanent protection.
Spring Basin Wilderness
What do you want from a Wilderness? Colorful geologic features! Rugged cliffs! Unique beauty! Outstanding opportunities for solitude! A neighboring wild and scenic river! The Spring Basin Wilderness has it all.
Designated as a wilderness in 2009, the area encompasses 6,378 acres of stunning scenery. Numerous vista points give the visitor a sweeping view of the John Day River valley and solitude is provided by the remote canyons and vegetative diversity. These highly scenic settings set the stage for outstanding opportunities for recreation activities such as photography, hiking, and nature study.