Visting the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

We recently traveled to south central Oregon to explore the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Steens Mountain, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge and the Sunstone Public Collection Area. The trip required quite a bit of planning for a variety of weather conditions.

The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge encompasses approximately 187,000 acres of land, including the largest lake in the state, Malheur Lake, and a large amount of wetland and meadow. The refuge is part of the Pacific Flyway and is a great place to see birds nesting or pausing during their migrations.

The refuge begins about 30 miles south of Burns, about a 6-hour drive from Portland. A good place to begin a visit to the refuge is the Refuge Headquarters, on Sodhouse Lane on the south side of Malheur Lake. The Refuge Headquarters has a lot of information about the refuge (a driving tour, a list of birds and mammals and a list of hikes). In addition, if you are not an experienced bird-watcher, the museum has a lot of birds on display.

There are places to stop and view birds throughout the refuge. There are also a few hikes, some good places to fish and one of the nicest campgrounds I have ever been too (Page Springs) at the south end of the refuge in Frenchglen.

If you can make a trip, you probably need at least 2 or 3 days at the refuge. In addition to an abudance of bird watching opportunities. There are some good hikes, promising fishing locations and historical sites. The historical sites are predominantly part of Peter French's ranching operation. If you have even more time, you could visit and hike around the Diamond Craters Outstanding Natural Area.

We spent 2.5 days at the refuge. This was about right for our 8-year old son. In May, be prepared for rain and cold. The rain was torrential and we were lucky to have a sturdy tent to hold up to the wind. We went ahead and explored the refuge, the historical sites and completed a strenuous 6.5 mile hike along the Blitzen River - the only time we came across a rattlesnake. To give ourselves a chance to dry out, we also ate out a few times.

There are a few restaurants: The Narrows at the north end of the refuge, the Frenchglen Hotel and the all-in-one grocery, gas and restaurant in Fields (with excellent milkshakes).