Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Recreation

North Fork John Day Wilderness

• General Information
• Wilderness Locator
• Guides and Outfitters
• Wilderness Regulations
• Wilderness Etiquette and "Leave No Trace"
• Northwest Forest Pass

Location: 15 miles southeast of Ukiah, and 25 miles northwest of Baker City, Oregon

Creation: Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984

From rolling benchlands to the granite outcrops of the Greenhorn Mountains, the rugged North Forest John Day Wilderness provides diverse landscapes. Much of the wilderness is composed of gentle benchlands and tablelands; the remaining of steep ridges and alpine lake basins. A continuous vegetative canopy covers most of the land, including dense virgin stands of conifer species like Douglas-fir, white fir, western larch and lodgepole pine.

This wilderness, which is broken into four segments and traverses two national forests, is known for its big game and anadromous fish habitat. Headwaters of the Wild and Scenic North Fork John Day River is in this wilderness, accounting for many miles of steelhead and trout habitat. Dominant wildlife species are elk, deer and some bear. Many small game and nongame species also inhabit the area, as do mountain goats.

Over 100 miles of trails serve both hikers and horseback riders where the lay of the land calls for long-distance trips with many elevational changes.

Located on the Whitman Ranger District, the North Fork John Day Wilderness-Baldy Creek Unit covers 14,294 acres of the northern end of the Elkhorn Mountains, several scenic subalpine lake basins characteristic of the area, the headwaters of Bull Creek, Baldy Creek, and Crawfish Creek, and the headwaters of the North Fork John Day River.

The North Fork John Day Wilderness is comprised of four separate units, three on the North Fork John Day District, Umatilla National Forest, and one on the Baker Ranger District, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Designated in 1984, the four units of this Wilderness were primarily selected to provide increased protection of the headwaters tributaries of the North Fork John Day River. In designation of this Wilderness, protection of the remaining high quality anadromous fisheries habitat in the river basin was a high priority.

An interesting aspect of this Wilderness is it's small size. At 121,352 acres (14,294 acres on the W-W NF and 107,058 on the Umatilla NF), the direction of the Wilderness Act to maintain outstanding opportunities for solitude, and to allow natural processes to function "untrammeled by man", is an ongoing challenge for Wilderness managers. Unless willing to travel cross country and off the beaten track, finding solitude may be difficult. There are, however, outstanding opportunities to engage in an unconfined recreation experience, and to experience first-hand an untrammeled, natural landscape. Since the acres are few, it is critical for all Wilderness visitors to utilize their minimum impact skills to help protect and preserve every acre of this precious landscape.

One of the most dramatic, and perhaps wildest, aspects of this Wilderness is its actively evolving, fire dependent ecosystem. The North Fork John Day Wilderness is located within the larger Elkhorn Fire Management Area, and the area's fire plan allows for the use of Prescribed Natural Fire under certain circumstances. The visitor will see a landscape shaped by natural processes, most noticeably fires that have recently burned in the area. The Sloans Ridge Fire of 1996 burned 7300 acres of the Baldy, Bull, and North Fork John Day drainages within the Wilderness, and the Crawfish Prescribed Naural Fire, burned 516 acres around Crawfish Lake in 1995. Visitors have the opportunity to experience first hand natural vegetative recovery in a fire dependent ecosystem.

A notable feature about the area is that the North Fork John Day River is included in the National Wild and Scenic River System. Designated in 1988, the portion of river within the Wilderness is a National Wild River. The overlapping designations of Wilderness and National Wild and Scenic River provides a high level of protection for the river and its tributaries from water developments and other management activities.

Also interesting is the evidence of past human activities found in this area, specifically mining and prospecting. It is not unusual to find traces of the gold mining era such as historic ditches, cabins, and adits. Many of these features are being left in place to naturally disappear over time, consistent with Wilderness Act direction to have no permanent human works in Wilderness. Please enjoy but do not disturb these cultural artifacts.

RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES

The North Fork John Day Wilderness provides opportunities for visitors to hike, backpack, camp, ride horses, hunt, view scenery, study natural processes, and view wildlife. The heaviest use occurs in the summer and fall seasons, and is primarily associated with big-game hunting, drawing many visitors from outside the area. There are a few lakes and trails to explore within this Wilderness. Camping and fishing are particularly popular at Crawfish Lake and Baldy Lake. Visitors should expect to see several other parties at these lakes during the summer weekends, particularly holiday weekends.

At this time there are no outfitter and guides permitted to operate in this Wilderness.

TRAILS

There are six trails located within the North Fork John Day Wilderness-Baldy Unit. These trails have evolved from historic pack trails and travel routes such as old mining access and wagon roads. These trails are "moderate to most difficult" trails maintained for hikers and stock users. These trails receive minimal maintenance at the present time. Users should be prepared for blowdown, rocks, narrow tread, steep grades, and boggy spots.

Baldy Creek Trail: This 7.4 mile trail follows Baldy Creek to the Baldy Lake Basin.

Crawfish Basin Trail: This trail is 2 miles long, skirting around the upper northeast portion of Crawfish Basin, ultimately connecting with the Elkhorn Crest Trail.

Crawfish Lake Trail: This trail is 2 miles long, providing access to Crawfish Lake and Crawfish Creek.

Cunningham Cove Trail: This steep, "most difficult", 3.3 mile trail provides access to Cunningham Cove and the Elkhorn Crest Trail from the North Fork John Day River and the 7300-380 road.

Elkhorn Crest Trail: This trail is 23 miles long. Approximately 10 miles of this trail follow the eastern boundary of the Wilderness, along the Elkhorn Crest. The trail connects to Crawfish Basin, Cunningham Cove, and Peavy Trails, providing loop trail opportunities.

Peavy Trail: This 3.7 mile trail follows the upper reaches of the North Fork John Day National Wild River. It utlimately ties in to the Elkhorn Crest Trail near Cracker Saddle.

VEGETATION

There are two distinct vegetation divisions in this unit, the forested uplands on the lower slopes, and subalpine ridgetop areas along the eastern boundary. The forested lower slopes are dominated by Douglas-fir, western larch, white fir, lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce. The subalpine forest, above 6000', is dominated by whitebark pine, subalpine fir, and lodgepole pine. Much of the subalpine area is characterized by open slopes, rock slides, stunted trees, low shrubs, and herbaceous plants.

GEOLOGY

The Elkhorn argillite formation is the predominant sedimentary rock in the upper drainage; it also includes small bodies of limestone, tuffs, and conglomerates. Glacial till, with its mixed layers of fine sand and large boulders, can also be seen in the upper drainage. Many of these rock units have been metamorphosed, faulted, and folded producing a variety of shapes and colors. Layers of ash (probably from Mt. Mazama) 7-14" thick can be found in places. Visitors who travel on the Peavy trail will notice first hand recent natural debris flows from side drainages that occurred after the Sloans Ridge fire of 1996.

FISHERIES

The John Day is the only undammed major river basin in the state, and the North Fork John Day River supports the largest and most important run of anadromous fish within this Basin. The North Fork and its tributaries support an estimated 70% of the total spring chinook salmon run and 43% of the summer steelhead run within the subbasin. This is the largest spawning population of wild spring chinook and summer steelhead in the Columbia River system. The genetic integrity of the runs is unique compared to the majority of Columbia River Basin anadromous fish runs, which are supplemented by hatchery fish or were established from non-native stocks. The upper North Fork John Day River is thought to have one of the few remaining healthy bull trout populations in the state. According to fish biologists, there is a high probability that redband trout also is present in conjunction with rainbow trout in the North Fork John Day River. Upcoming surveys planned for this river will verify their existence and population distribution.

WILDLIFE

Wildlife is diverse, and in general, excellent habitat exists in the North Fork John Day Wilderness. The river drainage serves as a major migration route for big-game species, such as Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer which summer in the area. Documented sightings of black bear, cougar, bobcat, and wolverines have been made. By the number and frequency of sightings, it is thought that both there are moderate numbers of black bear and bobcat. Less is known about resident cougars and wolverines; populations most likely are low.

The amount of dead and dying trees due to insect infestations and recent fires have created very good habitat for a variety of woodpeckers and great gray owls. The burned areas also provide a diversity of habitat which is excellent for foraging deer and elk. The pileated woodpecker (an indicator species of old-growth habitat), goshawks, and great gray owls are known to utilize the area, as well as small mammals such as mink and beaver. It is probable that river otter also reside here. Riparian conditions are very good. The natural wet meadows in this area are near pristine, and provide high quality habitat for big-game, hawks, owls, and small mammals.

PREHISTORY AND HISTORY

The North Fork John Day River corridor was used in prehistoric and (written) historic times by the southern Plateau Indians. In particular, ancestors of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) are said to have used this area extensively in prehistoric times for hunting, fishing, camping, root digging and berry picking.

Gold mining was the primary activity which first brought substantial numbers of people to the Blue Mountains in the 1860's, and evidence of this "gold rush" still exists along the river. Evidence of this history includes various structures for habitation and use, mines, prospect holes, and other related developments. Other minerals such as silver, copper, lead, zinc, chromite and manganese were produced in small quantities.

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Standard National Forest regulations are in force in the North Fork John Day Wilderness. In addition, The Wilderness Act provides the direction for what activities are allowed within the North Fork John Day Wilderness. Please check for the current regulations prior to visiting. The following regulations apply (and are identified by the Forest Service symbol and bold type):

The use of motorized or mechanized equipment is prohibited in National Forest Wilderness. This includes motorcycles, bicycles, hang gliders, and carts.

Commercial activities, including commercial mushroom picking, are prohibited in National Forest Wilderness.

The following are strongly recommended:

Recommended maximum group size is 12.

It is recommended that camps be located a minimum of 100 feet from lakes and streams to protect water quality and fragile riparian vegetation.

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Baldy Creek Trailhead: This trailhead is located on the 73 road, approximately 46 miles from Baker City. It serves as the trailhead for the Baldy Creek trail. This is a Trail Park Trailhead, requiring trail park passes on all vehicles. Improvements include an accessible vault toilet, bulletin board, and parking.

Crawfish Basin Trailhead: This trailhead is located on the 7300-187 road, approximately 36 miles from Baker City. This trailhead provides access to the Crawfish Basin trail. This is a Trail Park Trailhead, requiring trail park passes on all vehicles parked at or within 1/4 mile of the trailhead. This trailhead has a parking area and bulletin board.

Crawfish Creek Trailhead: This trailhead is located on the 7300-320 road, approximately 44 miles from Baker City. This trailhead provides access to the lower end of the Crawfish Lake trail. This is a Trail Park Trailhead, requiring trail park passes on all vehicles parked at or within 1/4 mile of the trailhead. This trailhead has parking and a bulletin board.

Crawfish Lake Trailhead: This trailhead is located on the 7300-216 road, approximately 40 miles from Baker City. This trailhead provides access to the upper end of the Crawfish Lake trail. This is a Trail Park Trailhead, requiring trail park passes on all vehicles parked at or within 1/4 mile of the trailhead. This trailhead has a gravelled parking area and a bulletin board.

Elkhorn Crest Trailhead: This trailhead is located on the 73 road, near Anthony Lakes Campground, approximately 31 miles from Baker City. This trailhead provides access to the Elkhorn Crest and Black Lake trails. This is a Trail Park Trailhead, requiring trail park passes on all vehicles parked at or within 1/4 mile of the trailhead.This trailhead has a paved parking lot, bulletin board, vault toilets, horse unloading ramp, and hitch racks.

Peavy Trailhead: This trailhead is at the end of the 7300-380 road. It serves as the trailhead for Peavy Trail and Cunningham Cove Trail. This is a Trail Park Trailhead, requiring trail park passes on all vehicles. Improvements at the trailhead include a bulletin board, double level horse unloading ramp, hitch rack, and parking.

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