Strawberry Mountain Wilderness
"A-B-C" FUN FACTS
A - ACCESS - Major Access routes into the Strawberries include:
Forest Road 6001 - Accesses Strawberry, Slide Creek and McNaughton Campgrounds; Slide Creek Horse Camp; Onion Creek, Slide Basin Shortcut and Strawberry Basin trailheads. Destination points from this access are; Strawberry Lake, and Slide Lake.
Forest Road 1640 - Accesses Roads End and Pine Creek trailheads. Destination points from this access are; Strawberry Mtn. Summit, and High Lake.
Forest Road 021 - Accesses Snowshoe and Big Creek trailheads. Destination points from this access are; Mud Lake and Little Riner Basin.
Forest Road 1520 - Accesses Buckhorn Meadows trailhead. Destination points from this access are; Wildcat Basin.
Forest Road 812 - Accesses East Fork Canyon Creek trailhead. Destination points from this access are; East Fork of Canyon Creek.
Please refer to the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness or Malheur National Forest map for more details on access into the area.
B - BEARS - Yes, the Strawberries have black bears which have occasionally been known to come into camps in search of food. Please take all precautions and "bear proof" your camp by putting your food and other tasty items out of their reach.
B - BICYCLES - Federal regulations prohibit the use of bicycles, mtn. bikes, and other mechanized equipment in all wilderness areas. If you are interested in mountain biking on the Forest, we have a great book with trails and rides for various skill levels. Please contact the district recreation specialists or our visitor information receptionist for more information.
C - CAMPING - There are many camping locations throughout the wilderness. Some are more established camps or you are welcome to camp anywhere off the trails. With the sensitivity of many of our meadows and lakes, we asked that you choose a spot at least 200 feet (where feasible) from a lake or out of a meadow.
D - DOGS - Although bringing your pets along on a hike can be an enjoyable outing, all wilderness visitors may not hold these feelings. For everyone's benefit, please keep your dogs and other pets under reliable voice control or on a physical restraint such as a leash.
E - ELEVATIONS - Elevations range from a high of 9038 feet at the top of Strawberry Mountain to a low of around 4800 feet near the East fork of Canyon Creek.
F - FISHING AND FLOAT TUBES - Stocked fish are available at Strawberry Lake, Little Strawberry Lake, High Lake, Slide Lake and Little Slide Lake. A State fishing license is required. Float tubes can be fun to fish in the various lakes mentioned above, but precautions should be taken when paddling in low water. The mud and sediment on the bottom has been known to cloud the lake for days following float tube use. To prevent future restrictions please take care when in shallow areas.
F - FIRES - All fires can be reported to the offices listed under "Q" for questions. You may also notice the affects of wildfire in many parts of the wilderness. The main areas affected by fire are Indian and Onion Creeks (Wildcat Fire -1996); Snowshoe and Big Creeks (Snowshoe Fire -1990); Slide Mountain (Slide Fire - 1999); and a large area east of High and Slide Lake (High Roberts Fire - 2002).
G - GAME CARTS - The Forest has a regulation against all game or deer carts in the wilderness and views them as a mechanized vehicle. Strollers are also prohibited.
H - HIKING - Over 124 miles of hiking trails are available. Trails vary in length from 0.2 miles to 15.5 miles, with an east-west crest trail system that covers most of the main ridge tops along the Strawberry Mountains. There are also many connectors that are adjacent to stream bottoms and secondary ridgelines. To find out more about the trails please refer to a Strawberry Mountain Wilderness map available at the Forest or District offices.
H - HORSES - If you ride your horse or mule into the area, please practice trail etiquette and yield the right-of-way to hikers where necessary. Many hikers still are unsure of what to do when they encounter riders on the trails so help them out and give them a few tips to make the passing easy. If you are camping, it is recommended to camp and overnight your stock at least 200 feet from any lake or stream. Due to limited amount of lakeside forage, packing in weed-free hay or pellets is advisable. Use a highline for longer periods of stay.
I - ICE FISHING - For the hardy anglers, some folks have been known to hike into Strawberry Lake early in April or May to catch the first trout of the year. Access to the other lakes is usually too difficult due to snow levels on the trailhead roads.
J - JUNK - Yes, occasionally you may run across a camp where someone has left their junk, trash and other debris behind. To help us out, you could pack it out and help maintain your beautiful wilderness area. Plus you make the next person's wilderness more enjoyable!
K - KNOW THE CONDITIONS - Several local internet sites offer daily weather predictions and conditions. Local trail conditions can also be obtained by contacting the Prairie City Ranger District (541-820-3800) or the Malheur National Forest Supervisor's Office/Blue Mountain Ranger District (541-575-3000).
L - LIVESTOCK - There are 3 active grazing allotments with cattle herds on the Prairie City and Blue Mountain Ranger District. This use was historic and is allowed under the Wilderness Act.
M - MOSQUITOES - Although not as big or as many as you may have encountered, there are still enough around most lakes and streams to "bug" you. Wear proper clothing or other precautions to avoid this unpleasantness. With freezing weather taking place through the year in the mountains, cyclic hatches are seen in the Spring through Fall.
N - NATURE - To fully enjoy the wonders of nature in the Wilderness, think about bringing along; cameras, binoculars, plant and animal field guides, topographic maps, sketch pads, paint, etc.
O - OUTFITTING AND GUIDE PERMITS - Outfitting and Guiding permits are not allowed in the Strawberries at this time.
P - PERMITS - Speaking of permits, there are no mandatory permits for entry, however a volunteer permit system is in place at most trailheads and your are encouraged to complete them upon entry.
Q - QUESTIONS - For more information about the area please contact:
Prairie City Ranger District
P.O. Box 337
Prairie City, OR 97869
541-820-3800
Malheur National Forest
P.O. Box 909
John Day, OR 97845
541-575-3000
R - RESCUE - Search and Rescue operations are handled in coordination with the Grant County Sheriff's department. They can be contacted at 541-575-1131.
S - SNOW LEVELS - With fluctuating weather conditions, in the Fall and Spring it is best to either contact the Prairie City Ranger District or Malheur National Forest Supervisor's Office. Please see the numbers under "Q" for questions.
S - SWIMMING - Those that want a cool break have been known to swim in Strawberry, Little Strawberry, or High Lake. Please take all normal precautions if you do swim or wade as the water is very cold. The water around most of these lakes is very shallow and muddy. If it is stirred up it can take days to settle down. Lastly, bathing or washing dishes/gear in the lakes with soaps is unhealthy for the lake as well as other users. Please haul water away from the lakes to wash/bathe and use only biodegradable soap products.
T - TRAILS - The Strawberries have over 120 miles of trails that range in elevations from 4800 to 9038 feet. There is a main ridge top trail which runs east-west, and many streamside trails running north-south. The best source of information on trail conditions or planning a ride/hike/pack/ski trip is from the sources under "Q" for questions or on the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness map available at those addresses.
U - UNIQUE - There are many unique and beautiful spots in the Strawberries. Hikes along designated trails as well as excursions off of the trails offer many unique areas.
V - VOLUNTEERS - If you are interested in volunteering on the trails crews, as a wilderness ranger, or helping out on restoring camping areas, please call us at the offices listed under "Q" for questions. If you are willing to work and gain some great experience for the summer, this may be the opportunity you have been looking for.
W - WATER - Although there are many streams, lakes, and springs in the area, it is advisable that you do not directly drink out of them. Packing in your own water, using a filter, or utilizing other precautions to purify the water before drinking it is recommended.
W - WEATHER - Local weather information can be found on many web sites. One that we use often is located out of Pendleton at:
http://www.weather.com/weather/local/97869?lswe=97869&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared
or another one for more detailed information:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/wrhq/TotalForecast.csh?TotalForecast+WR+OR+047
X - X-COUNTRY SKIING - There are several access areas that are plowed open for cross country skiing. These areas are adjacent to the wilderness and include
* John Day Summit south of Prairie City on County Road 62.
* Strawberry Corridor south of Prairie City on County Road 60.
* Canyon Mountain Trailhead south of John Day on County Road 77 to Forest road 333.
Note= These roads are plowed by the County and access is variable depending on their workload and snow conditions.
Y - YOU - You are important to helping the Forest keep up-to-date on trail conditions, safety problems, keeping the wilderness area clean, and reporting any motorized vehicles or other violations. We are also interested in how to improve your experience. At each trailhead there are customer service cards. Please fill them out and place them in the boxes for our review.
Z - ZAP - (Sorry we had to put something here!) Lightning storms have been known to come across the Strawberries from Spring to Fall. To avoid injury please take the normal precautions of moving to lower ground, not standing near trees, getting away from and out of the lakes, and getting off of your horses.