Hiking and Exploration

Backcountry camping is allowed throughout the region with a free permit. There are several primitive car-camping campgrounds as well.  Check in at the Hart National Antelope Refuge’s visitor center for more information.

Hiking opportunities abound from hidden box-canyons on the east side, to waterfalls in De Garmo Canyon. Find petroglyphs on the rimrock outcropping of Petroglyph Lake and climb Poker Jim Ridge for steep views into the Warner Valley several thousand feet below.

In springtime, pronghorn are having their young, birders can find Yellow Warblers and Sandhill Cranes on their migratory path, and, in the first few weeks of June, you may be lucky enough to find primrose-filled playas.

Come fall watch for color changing snow-pocket aspen groves, active mule deer, and the chance to see it all under a blanket of snow.

And all year long enjoy sunsets over Beatys Butte and the best starry night skies you’ve ever seen!

The vast majority of the hiking in the Greater Hart-Sheldon Region involves cross-country travel through open sagebrush steppe. As always, carry a detailed topographic map and navigation tools and practice Leave No Trace.

Conservation Actions

BLM Resource Management Plans develop a framework for how public lands will be managed over the next 10-15 years. The BLM is currently working on an update to two Resource Management Plans in southeast Oregon, covering over seven million acres of public lands in both the Lakeview (Hart-Sheldon) and Vale (Owyhee) BLM districts. Sign up now to engage in these important planning processes and help determine how these public lands are managed for decades to come.

For more information about the public comment period and ways to get engaged, visit our desert planning page.