USFS · Oregon

Ochoco National Forest

The Ochoco National Forest is located in the Ochoco Mountains in Central Oregon in the United States, north and east of the city of Prineville, location of the national forest headquarters. It encompasses 850,000 acres (3,440 km2) of rimrock, canyons, geologic oddities, dense pine forests, and high desert terrain, as well as the headwaters of the North Fork Crooked River. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the forest was 95,000 acres (38,000 ha).

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest912,775 acresUSFSOR38 campgrounds within 10 mi97 Forest Service sites85 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1 fire
active
Newberry Piles 2026 Rx (prescribed burn) · 49 mi from the center
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateOregon
Size912,775 acres
Forest Service code0607, region 06
Center point44.37° N, 120.41° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

3 outlines

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 Ochoco National Forest30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.17 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.08 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.22 inches of precipitationApril: 1.66 inches of precipitationMay: 1.94 inches of precipitationJune: 1.45 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.51 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.46 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.50 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.18 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.34 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.23 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 34.2°F averageFebruary: 36.2°F averageMarch: 40.8°F averageApril: 45.1°F averageMay: 52.3°F averageJune: 58.1°F averageJuly: 67.2°F averageAugust: 66.7°F averageSeptember: 59.7°F averageOctober: 49.5°F averageNovember: 39.8°F averageDecember: 33.1°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Mitchell 2 E, 20 miles from the center point at 3,320 feet, station USC00355638 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 14 inches a year. The station sits about 1,800 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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
Allen Creek Horse Camp
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Antelope Flat Reservoir Campground and Day Use
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Barnhouse Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Biggs Springs Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Bingham Springs Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Cottonwood Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Cottonwood Pit Campground
First-comeOR
FS · Inside
Deep Creek Campground
First-comeOR
Show 4 more

26 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 97

The Forest Service lists 97 recreation sites in this forest, among them 39 trailheads, 28 campgrounds, 5 horse Ridings, 4 day hikings. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 37 more are on the Forest Service site.

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 85 named trails in this forest, 343 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Snomobile #2 ↗25.6
Ochoco Mountain ↗23.5
Ridge Rider - Cole Loop ↗23.2
Snomobile # 1 ↗18.1
Snomobile #3 ↗16.8
Black Canyon ↗11.6
Lookout Mountain ↗11
Hammer Creek ↗9.3
Round Mountain ↗9
Ridge Rider - Warner Loop ↗8.9

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 85 trails in Ochoco National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Newberry Piles 2026 Rx

    49 mi from the center point

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 · 10 mi
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 18 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 Ochoco National Forest?

912,775 acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Ochoco National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Ochoco National Forest in?

Oregon.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Ochoco 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 Ochoco National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.371° N, 120.413° W. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is 10 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Ochoco National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Newberry Piles 2026 Rx at 49 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Ochoco National Forest?

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (10 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Ochoco National Forest?

The National Register has 18 listings within 15 miles, including Lamonta Compound--Prineville Supervisor's Warehouse and Crook County Bank Building.

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: Ochoco 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.