Central Oregon Backcountry

Greg Burke   Website

Central Oregon Backcountry

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Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Our quest to protect the Oregon Badlands

Located just 15 miles east of Bend, Oregon Badlands is a 30,000-acre wilderness area filled with fascinating lava flows and ancient juniper trees Arriving in the Badlands, so named for its rugged and harsh terrain, can feel like stepping

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fact

Young Desert Horned Lizard

Young Desert Horned Lizard

In the summer these lizards begin foraging for food as soon as their body temperature rises as the heat of the day increases. They feed on slow-moving, ground-dwelling insects. In the fall they hibernate by burying themselves in the sand.

Latin name: Phrysonoma platyrhinos

listen

Great Horned Owls and Western Screech Owls

Great Horned Owls and Western Screech Owls

A Wild Backyard

Rugged river canyons, ancient juniper woodlands, and rolling grasslands make the Central Oregon Backcountry some of Oregon’s most beloved public lands. Wild places like the Oregon Badlands Wilderness and Whychus-Deschutes provide boundless opportunities for exploration and adventure, all just minutes away from the people who live and work in Central Oregon.  

Enjoying Central Oregon's desert backcountry

Tyler Roemer   Website

Flyfishing the Middle Deschutes River

Brian O'Keefe   Website

Ancient juniper in the Oregon Badlands Wilderness

Greg Burke   Website

Alder Springs Trail

Greg Burke   Website

Lava formations of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness

Greg Burke   Website

Central Oregon’s backcountry holds features found nowhere else: junipers that are among the oldest trees in Oregon, Native American rock art and artifacts that tell the history of this region, and some of the last wild habitat for animals like golden eagles and steelhead. These irreplaceable treasures need and deserve protection.

Whychus-Deschutes

Within an hour’s drive from Bend and just west of Terrebonne, the rugged canyons of Whychus-Deschutes remain astonishingly wild.

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Our Favorite Places in the Central Oregon Backcountry

Working for the Central Oregon Backcountry

A growing population and an influx of visitors are presenting new challenges to our lands. ONDA works to protect places like Whychus Creek and the South Fork Crooked River by engaging the community and encouraging people to speak up for the places they love.

South Fork Crooked River

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Central Oregon’s "Backyard Wilderness"

Our quest to protect the Oregon Badlands Located just 15 miles east of Bend, Oregon Badlands is a 30,000-acre wilderness area filled with fascinating lava flows and ancient juniper trees. […]

Read More