Hello desert adventurers and admirers,

Winter in Oregon arrived slow and sluggish this year, eventually yielding an unusually warm season with more rain and less snowfall. With the impacts of climate change deeply effecting the state of our cooler months across Oregon and the West, I’ve been torn between making the most of this winter's attributes or starting to look toward spring.

Luckily, Oregon’s high desert provides infinite opportunities for year-round joy, if you take the time to find them. Some ways I’ve found joy in passing the time recently have been tracking winter wildlife, taking photos of scenes that are less-captured in the colder months and exploring areas that may get too hot for me to venture to when the warmer months of year arrive. These ways of witnessing the high desert have made for a silver lining on this season.

Looking to do the same? Here are some tips on where to go.

Follow Wildlife Tracks

Winter’s cold weather can provide some great opportunities to learn more about the rich array of wildlife species that inhabit Oregon’s high desert. Snow and rainfall lead to tracks in dirt, mud and snow worth investigating.

“What is it?” is the first and most obvious question to ask upon encountering animal tracks – but it’s especially interesting to investigate “why is that here?” and “what was the animal doing?” The complete answers to all of these questions can take a lifetime to fully learn, but a great first step is to get out there and try to find tracks, identify prints and learn to read the story of what happened there.

Read on for where to go, tips and tricks and what to look for month by month.

Photograph the Desert

Two of the most important elements of photography are light and composition. Wintertime is a great opportunity to test your skills, experimenting with high contrast scenes, dramatic storm clouds or the lighting reflected by snow. Discover a new location, or experience one of your favorite spots in a new light.

While you’re taking a shot at photographing Oregon’s desert wonders this winter, look ahead toward the spring. ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar is always looking for more winter images of our key regions. The submission period opens April 1, 2024.

Read on for tips on photographing the desert, how to take the best calendar photos, and for calendar submission criteria.

Ten Winter Adventures

Winter in Oregon’s high desert can look and be quite different from one year to the next. Last winter delivered copious amounts of snowfall across much of the sagebrush sea, offering feet of fun for skiers and snow enthusiasts.
This winter – proving to be warmer and drier – is lending itself more to hiking than snow play.

Discover ten adventure ideas across the high desert in the winter months — helpfully divided up between no to low snow and tons of snow.

Read on for ten ideas for adventures.

Enjoy your time embracing the desert during this cold season. If you’re more keen on staying inside this time of year, consider beginning to plan your springtime desert adventures, including wildflower blooms and activities to try. Or, take this time to advance your activism by reading up on how to go from a desert appreciator to a desert advocate or filling out our form to get more involved in protecting the Owyhee Canyonlands.

See you in the desert,

Renee Schiavone

Communications Manager

Photos: feature 1 - USFWS, feature 2 - Mike Gardelius, feature 3 - James Parsons

Oregon Natural Desert Association | Visit onda.org | Donate Now

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