Oregon's Sprawling National Forest Is A Blue Mountain Beauty Full Of Scenic Lakes, Cabins, And Trails

When it comes to exploring scenic landscapes and the great outdoors, Oregon lands on the top of many desired travel lists. After all, the Beaver State is home to 29 million acres of forest land, accounting for almost half of the state, per the Department of Land Conservation and Development. Among that wooded acreage are 11 national forests, managed by the U.S. Forest Service under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. One of the largest national forests in Oregon is the sprawling Malheur National Forest, a mountain beauty with hiking, scenic lakes, and cabin-style camping.

The Malheur National Forest encompasses 1.7 million acres and is spread across four counties in Eastern Oregon while also being tucked within the Blue Mountains. Its alpine splendor is evident through its elevation, which ranges from 4,000 feet to its tallest peak of Strawberry Mountain at 9,038 feet. Malheur National Forest also contains over 88,000 acres of designated wilderness land, across two wilderness areas, Monument Rock Wilderness and Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Additionally, three river systems, the John Day, Malheur, and the Silvies River, flow through this vast national forest, making it an ideal habitat for abundant wildlife. Visitors might also stumble upon the world's largest living organism, the Humongous Fungus, a more than 2-mile-wide fungal mass. 

Malheur National Forest is a four-season, no-fee destination for visitors, with late spring and early fall being ideal times to visit to avoid limiting winter conditions. Its diverse landscapes feature high desert grassland, various tree species, alpine lakes, and meadows ripe for traveler exploration.

Malheur National Forest and the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness are home to picturesque alpine lakes, which feature varied topography, and are best accessed from hiking trails. In total, the forest is home to more than 240 miles of pathways. Head to Strawberry Lake from Strawberry Campground along the 6.9-mile-long round-trip Strawberry Lake and Little Strawberry Lake Trail. You'll experience about a 1,300-foot elevation gain, passing by the 110-foot-high Strawberry Falls and ending at the smaller lake. For a shorter option, you can take the 1.2-mile route, which circles the main lake, before heading back to the trailhead.

Connecting from this route is access to two other alpine waterways, High Lake and Slide Lake, which are remote and set inside glacial basins. You can also reach them on a 4.6-mile out-and-back trail from the High Lake Rim Trailhead. Magone Lake, formed from a landslide in the 1800s, is known for water activities like boating, swimming, and fishing, alongside mountain biking and scenic trails. You can stroll around the circumference of the lake along the Magone Lake Trail, an easy 1.7-mile route that's best explored from May through September. 

Another site within the forest is the 26-acre Cedar Grove Botanical Area, a stunning botanical preserve with some of Oregon's rarest trees. The Cedar Grove National Recreational Trail wanders through this grove of Alaskan yellow cedars on a 1-mile-long route from a trailhead off Forest Service Road 2150.

Malheur National Forest offers four former guard stations that have been turned into rustic cabin rentals for overnight adventures. The Sunshine Guard Station, built in 1936, is the sole year-round option, tucked near the John Day River at 3,700 feet. The two-bedroom cabin sleeps up to six with a kitchen, living room, electric heat, lights, and a vault toilet. The Deer Creek Guard Station, open May to November, was built in 1956 and is located along a creek at 5,100 feet. This three-room cabin sleeps up to six people, featuring a small kitchen, living space, and bedroom with a vault toilet. 

Murderers Creek Guard Station, open May to November for two people, is a studio cabin built in 1913 and resting at 5,000 feet along its namesake creek. It offers a propane stove, refrigerator, heater, vault toilet, and driveway space suitable for RV parking. Short Creek Guard Station is rentable from June to October for up to three people near the Strawberry Wilderness area and Malheur Scenic River at 5,000 feet. Its amenities include a propane-fueled kitchen, picnic table, barbecues, flush toilet, and shower. Guests need to provide bedding, towels, and other essentials, and with the exception of Short Creek, their own water supply as well. Cabins can be booked online at recreation.gov up to six months in advance.

There are also 31 developed campgrounds in the National Forest that are available from May 1 to October 31st, mostly on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum 14-day stay. Details and a map are available in the downloadable camping brochure on the Forest Service website. While venturing through the Blue Mountains, visitors can also add a visit to La Grande, one of Oregon's best college cities full of wilderness access, and Sumpter, a once-thriving mining town with a restored dredge and historic railroad, to their itineraries.