USFS · Oregon

Malheur National Forest

The Malheur National Forest is a National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. It contains more than 1.4 million acres (5,700 km2) in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The forest consists of high desert grasslands, sage, juniper, pine, fir, and other tree species. Elevations vary from about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) to the 9,038-foot (2,755 m) peak of Strawberry Mountain. The Strawberry Mountains of eastern Oregon extend east to west through the center of the forest. U.S. Route 395 runs south to north through the forest, while U.S. Route 26 runs east to west.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.8 million acresUSFSOR38 campgrounds within 10 mi53 Forest Service sites211 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Elk 16 Rx (prescribed burn) · 7 mi from the center · 544 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateOregon
Size1.8 million acres
Forest Service code0604, region 06
Center point44.20° N, 118.56° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Malheur National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.58 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.01 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.23 inches of precipitationApril: 1.18 inches of precipitationMay: 1.71 inches of precipitationJune: 1.19 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.53 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.38 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.53 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.07 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.44 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.82 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.5°F averageFebruary: 26.8°F averageMarch: 33.1°F averageApril: 38.8°F averageMay: 46.8°F averageJune: 53.1°F averageJuly: 60.3°F averageAugust: 58.4°F averageSeptember: 50.3°F averageOctober: 40.5°F averageNovember: 30.8°F averageDecember: 23.4°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Seneca, 21 miles from the center point at 4,660 feet, station USC00357675 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 14 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

27 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 11 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Big Creek Campground
Reservable15 sites
FS · Inside
Billy Fields Campground
First-come2 sites
FS · Inside
Buck Spring Campground
Reservable7 sites
FS · Inside
Deerhorn Campground
Reservable5 sites
FS · Inside
Delintment Lake Campground
Reservable29 sites
FS · Inside
Dixie Campground
Reservable9 sites
FS · Inside
Emigrant Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Falls Campground
Reservable6 sites
Show 4 more

26 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 53

The Forest Service lists 53 recreation sites in this forest, among them 26 campgrounds, 6 cabins, 6 backpackings, 5 trailheads. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 53

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 211 named trails in this forest, 1,279 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Malheur Snowmobile ↗72.4
Baldy Mountain Loop Bicycle ↗33.4
Snomo #5309 ↗27.4
Geary Snowmobil (East) ↗27.3
Snomo #5313 ↗22.2
Frazier Loop Snowmobile ↗21.7
Geary Snowmobile (West) ↗21.5
Snomo #5335 ↗19.1
Wymer Meadows Loop Bicycle ↗18.7
Snomo #5109 ↗17.3

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 211 trails in Malheur National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Elk 16 Rx

    7 mi from the center point · 544 acres

  • Prescribed
    Summit Rx

    7 mi from the center point · 1,386 acres

  • Prescribed
    Wolf A Rx

    10 mi from the center point · 1,620 acres

  • Prescribed
    Jane 102 Rx

    16 mi from the center point · 3,000 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · 25 mi
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 10 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Oregon

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon and Washington
    Andy Selters, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Oregon's Ancient Forests
    Chandra LeGue, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacking Oregon
    Douglas Lorain, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best dog hikes Oregon
    FalconGuides (Publisher), 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best hikes near Portland, Oregon
    Fred Barstad, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Malheur National Forest?

1.8 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Malheur National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Malheur National Forest in?

Oregon.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Malheur National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Malheur National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.205° N, 118.562° W. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is 25 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Malheur National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Elk 16 Rx at 7 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Malheur National Forest?

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Malheur National Forest?

The National Register has 10 listings within 15 miles, including Allison Ranger Station and John Day Compound, Supervisor's Warehouse.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Malheur National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.