- Oregon County HP: #12
- Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 5)
- Summit Elevation: 9,035 feet
- Mountain Range: Strawberry Mountains
- Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla; Nüümü (Northern Paiute); Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Strawberry Mountain is located within the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness approximately 25 miles southeast of John Day, Oregon. The closest small town with services is Prairie City, which has a grocery, gas station, and a few of locally-owned restaurants.
When to Visit: Summer and Fall. Like many of the higher elevation peaks in eastern Oregon, Strawberry Mountain can still be covered in snow into June. The high point is located in the Malheur National Forest and getting to the trailhead requires driving several miles on a narrow, unmaintained forest road that becomes very rutted after heavy rains/snow melt.
Fees/Permits Required: None.
Getting There: Strawberry Mountain is most readily approached from the Strawberry Basin Trail #375 on the peak’s eastern side. The Strawberry Basin Trailhead begins near Strawberry Campground, approximately 11 miles south of Prairie City, Oregon.
Directions from John Day:
- From John Day, head east on US-26 until you reach Prairie City.
- Once in downtown, turn right on Main Street and drive south for 0.4 miles until the street comes to end at SW Bridge Street.
- Turn left onto Bridge Street and drive east for two blocks before making a quick right turn back onto Bridge Street (NF-60) and driving south 11 miles.
- As you continue driving south, bisecting several large ranches, the road will change its name to Strawberry Road and transition from pavement to an improved gravel road.
- At the boundary for the Malhuer National Forest, the improved road will cross a metal cattle guard and then transition to a much narrower, curvier dirt road (NF-6001) for the final three miles to Strawberry Campground.
Directions from Baker City:
- From I-84, take exit 304 and head west on OR-7 through historic downtown Baker City.
- Follow OR-7 west for 50 miles until it ends at Austin Junction (US-26).
- Turn right onto US-26 and drive 15.3 miles west until you reach Prairie City.
- Turn left onto Main Street and follow the directions listed above to Strawberry Campground using Bridge Street (NF-60).
Parking: There is ample room for 10+ cars to park at the Strawberry Basin Trailhead. A vault toilet and seasonal water spigot (turned on late-May/early June thru mid-October) is near the parking area.
(Note: due to it’s proximity to the Strawberry Campground there are signs in the trailhead parking area warning visitors that overnight camping at the trailhead is prohibited.)
Pets Allowed: Yes. This county high point sits within the Malheur National Forest.
Kid Friendly: Yes, however if hiking it in a single day, this hike is best reserved for older children/teens. The Roads End Trail provides a shorter and easier route to the summit, or this hike can be done broken into a multi-day trip backpacking trip for younger children.
Hiking Distance: 12.4 miles round-trip
The Summit: Strawberry Mountain’s summit is a talus-covered 100-yard long ridge with two mounds on either end of it. There is no geodetic survey marker or sign atop the summit, but the mound at the southern end (where the trail reaches the ridge) is the highest point atop the peak.
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: August 2, 2023
Route Used: Strawberry Basin Trail (#374) to Onion Creek Trail (#368) and summit trail – roughly 12.4 miles (round-trip)
Of all the county high points I’ve hiked in Oregon, I never expected Strawberry Mountain to be the one that ticked all my boxes. After all, I hadn’t even heard of this peak until I started researching my current highpointing trip across four of Oregon’s rural eastern counties.
The other two high points I’d just visited in the Blue Mountains were nothing compared for what I’d find at Strawberry Mountain: a 12-mile hike beside a lovely lake, a raging waterfall, fields of wildflowers and butterflies, a fantastically maintained trail, and a 9,000-foot panoramic summit that I had 100% to myself. Does it get any better??
The drive out to the Strawberry Basin trail was straight forward enough. I started my morning in at Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site, at a lovely little campground on the John Day river. The sun was barely up when I packed up the car and set off on US-26, driving east toward Prairie City.
Prairie City (pop. 848) had a rustic charm to it, and I could initially see Strawberry Mountain prominently dominating the horizon as I turned south and drove toward it down NF-60. The peak seemed to disappear behind shorter mountains though as I got closer, and I wouldn’t see it again until I was within a mile or two of the summit.
This trailhead for the Strawberry Basin route is co-located with Strawberry Campground – a USFS campground. And everything in this neck of the woods seems to be named “strawberry,” from Strawberry Road to Strawberry Mountain, and Strawberry Basin Trail, Strawberry Campground, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, Strawberry Mountain Range…
The only challenge I had getting to the trailhead was from a deer that jumped over a fence and then dashed across the road in front of me. Luckily I missed it, But that’s the second time in three days a deer has tried to impede my eastern Oregon highpointing adventures! I was beginning to fret I’d have a repeat of that catastrophic time I was highpointing in the Great Lakes!)
Once my heart rate returned to normal again from my deer encounter, I continued driving south for several more miles through rural ranch land until I entered the Mauheur National Forest.
At the forest boundary, and the road conditions dramatically changed. I’d transitioned from a fairly nice improved two-lane gravel road to NF-6001. This narrow, single lane dirt road was severely rutted and I spent the majority of those final three miles crawling along at less than 10 mph while trying to avoid some massive potholes from this winter’s snow melt.
When I rounded the final bend in the road and arrived at Strawberry Campground though, I was pleasantly surprised. There was a dedicated parking area for the trailhead that could fit at least 10 vehicles, plus a vault toilet, water spigot, and a kiosk with an easy-to-read map of the local hiking trails!
What’s more the parking lot was nearly empty! There was just one other vehicle and a USFS truck parked there. Even the campground was quiet, with just two or three tents set up under the tall trees.
I made my way over to the Strawberry Basin Trailhead, which was well-marked and easy to find. Today’s route would take me through the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness via the Strawberry Basin Trail (#375) and Onion Creek Trail (#368) with a short summit trail at the very end.
Although the county high point was due west of me, I wouldn’t be heading directly there. Instead the Strawberry Basin Trail would take me in a giant U through the wilderness area, allowing me to enjoy several of its best sights along the way.
The hike began at roughly 5,800 feet elevation, and I was pleasantly surprised by the trail conditions. They were as nice as anything I’d been on all summer. No burn areas to navigate through or blowdowns to climb over. Every trail should be this well-maintained.
Although I’d yet to actually see any wildlife (other than the reckless deer on my drive), the signs were certainly there as I made my way uphill. A curvy squiggle stretched across the dirt trail, leaving me with 100% certainty that there were snakes out here, for sure.
Barely a mile after departing the trailhead, I reached my first junction of the day. The Slide Basin Trail #372 broke off to my left toward Slide Lake and Little Slide Lake, two picturesque lakes sitting 1,000 feet above Strawberry Lake. I was curious about the lakes, but I knew the 3-mile distance (each way) to go see them was far more than I could afford to add to today’s mileage. So I continued south on the main route.
Less than five minutes later though, the trail leveled off a bit. Then I crested a rise that revealed my first major landmark on this hike – Strawberry Lake. The lake’s water as still as glass this morning allowing a beautiful reflection of the pinkish-colored peaks that sat above it. It was now more evident than ever why the early settlers in this region named this range the Strawberry Mountains.
There were so many fantastic camping spots along the lakefront, but there wasn’t a soul around this morning! What’s more, it wasn’t even buggy or mosquito-infested like the many lakes I’d hiked past in the Cascades on my PCT section hike earlier this summer.
A lakeside path led me along the water’s edge, while another trail paralleled my route a little higher up. As I got to the end of the lake, a sign directed me uphill toward Little Strawberry Lake, and a someone had used a black marker to make a handwritten addition.
As a general rule, I’m not in favor or people defacing these wooden trail signs. But this time, I was grateful for the additional info. I knew my next landmark was supposed to be Strawberry Falls, and I would have no idea whether this was the correct path or not, but for this ad hoc modification.
A series of long switchbacks took me up toward the 50-foot falls, which were just raging with water from the high snow year. A friend of mine told me the falls were just a trickle the last time he visited, but that was certainly not the case today.
Strawberry Falls (mile 2.5) was the place I encountered my first fellow hiker of the day too. A man with a very large backpack – perhaps 80L – was sitting on the edge of the rocks taking a break while his dog looked on.
I stopped to talk to the guy and learned they were out on a six day backpacking trip doing three different loops in the wilderness area. It sounded like a lovely trip, and this was definitely the year to do it given the abundance of water!
After a few quick photos of the falls, I bid them good luck and continued uphill before encountering a 20-foot long bridge that crossed the creek feeding the falls. The wooden bridge had recently collapsed in its center, making for a trickier-than-normal crossing. But even that minor obstacle didn’t dampen my mood today.
Another smaller side trail broke off to my left, this time leading to Little Strawberry Lake. This side trail was only 0.6 miles (each way) to the lake, but once again I passed on exploring, and I continued my ascent toward the pink hued-peaks instead.
Ten minutes of climbing later, a scenic overlook on some rock ledges emerged, forcing me to stop briefly just to get a glimpse of Strawberry Lake below. What a breathtaking view!
Near mile 4, vibrant wildflowers began to line the trail, reminding me again of the abundance of water Eastern Oregon because of 2023’s high snow year. It was breathtaking, and I was soon wading between wildflowers that were 3-4 feet high, while butterflies flitted everywhere.
The only downside – if you can call it that – was the that the trail eventually became pretty muddy though here. Several nearby springs nearby were flowing and clearly saturating the trail with their run-off.
Eventually, I reached the crumbling remains of a log cabin that was definitely past its prime. The shelter might work for a windbreak for someone camping in the wilderness, but one entire wall was askew and all the logs listed to the left. In another decade or two, the wilderness may reclaim it entirely.
Beyond the old cabin, the landscape unfolded into some meadows near Onion Creek, and I got my first close-up views of my destination. Strawberry Mountain’s pink hue against the cloudless, blue sky heightened my excitement about this hike.
What an alluring experience this was becoming. Wildflowers were in abundance. There were brooks and springs running through the meadow below the Strawberry Mountain. Each mile of the trail brought something interesting and unexpected, and this was quickly turning into one of my favorite summer hikes.
Ahead of me, some snow still clung to the northern sides of one of the unnamed peaks near 8,000 feet elevation. Meanwhile, the trail beneath my feet seemed to soften to an almost sandlike consistency and my calves burned with the climb toward the ridgeline above me.
Once I made it to the top though, views to the southern side of mountains emerged. The Malhuer National Forest stretched for a solid 30 miles before returning to arid desert where Fort Harney (now Burns, OR) was established following the Civil War.
Just beyond mile 5 of my hike, I reached the junction with the Onion Creek Trail #368 and a wooden sign pointed me north toward Strawberry Mountain. After five miles of hiking, I’d was nearing the end.
I knew from my research that I could have shortened my hike to the summit by many miles by just taking the Onion Creek Trail from its southern terminus (the Roads End Trailhead) or it northern terminus (via the Onion Creek Trailhead). But where was the fun in that?
Yesterday’s visits to Black Mountain and Tower Mountain had been less than adventurous. One high point was a 5.5 mile hike up a shady dirt forest road, while the other was a drive-up to the lookout tower. I was more than happy to take the traditional Strawberry Basin route today just for the scenery. And so far, it had been an exquisite way to start my morning.
The Onion Creek Trail brought another major change beneath my feet. I now found myself hiking on a cultivated dirt strip through some talus that wound around Strawberry Mountain’s eastern side. This trail was fairly easy to follow visually as it stretch out before me, but I needed to watch my step. A trip here wouldn’t end well, and I didn’t want to limp back to the car on a sprained ankle or with a bloody knee.
The sun was now beating down from above, seemingly reflecting its heat off the rocks. I was now above 8,000 feet elevation, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky block the UV rays . Thank goodness I’d worn my sun hoody to protect my skin. I might not have needed it for the first 5 miles of the hike, but I definitely needed it now.
At mile 5.75, I reached a small cluster of trees with a junction for the unnamed trail leading to the summit. There was only 450 feet more feet of elevation left, but I had to turn south again meaning the mid-morning sun would be in my eyes the entire way up.
Luckily, whoever built this fantastic summit trail had the vision to put in some switchbacks. So it wasn’t nearly as difficult to make that final push as it might have otherwise been. I passed a windbreak just below the summit, and stopped to take in my surroundings. This clear August day was giving me some of the best views in the state.
And less than three hours after I departed the Strawberry Basin Trailhead, I was cresting the talus covered summit of Strawberry Mountain. I was 100% alone out here today. With the exception of the backpacker and his dog that I’d seen back near the falls hours ago, I hadn’t seen another soul!
Dozens of butterflies fluttered around the summit itself as I took in the panoramic views of the Blue Mountains. Technically I was standing in the Blue Mountain Range now too, as it consists of five sub-ranges: the Ochoco Mountains, Aldrich Mountains, Greenhorn Mountains, Elkhorn Mountains, and Strawberry Mountains.
As I took in my surroundings, I noted that the summit was wide and narrow, with two prominent mounds on either end. The one I’d encountered first was the highest mounds, but I wandered over to the other one just to see the views from that vantage point too.
As I returned to my starting point, I noticed a metal cable and anchor in the ground. This was where the Strawberry Mountain fire lookout must have once been. Unlike the 92-foot tower I visited atop Tower Mountain yesterday, this fire lookout was just a cab built atop the flat ground back in the 1920s.
The original lookout was replaced with a newer cab in 1941, but eventually removed 25 years later. All that remained now was this anchor point.
I didn’t find a survey monument at the summit during my trip back and forth between the two mounds. Nor was there any sort of ammo can or visitors log secreted away. So I just sat down and enjoyed the views for a bit before beginning my 6.2-mile journey back to the car.
BONUS MATERIAL
Alternate Routes:
- Roads End (Southern Route). Visitors can also approach Strawberry Mountain from its southern side using the Roads End Trailhead. This 7-mile (round-trip) trek heads north using the Roads End Trail (#201) and the Onion Creek Trail (#368). This route may be easier on pets and children as it is not only a shorter distance, but it begins 2,000 feet higher than the Strawberry Basin route. To get to the trailhead, drive 3 miles north of Indian Springs Campground using NF-16 and NF-1640.
- Onion Creek Trail (Northern Route). Visitors who want to hike to the summit from the northern side, can use the Onion Creek Trailhead (#368) located on NF-6001 approximately 1.1 miles before Strawberry Campground. There is no dedicated parking area for this trailhead, so hikers will have to park in a pull-out on the side of the road. This hike is 9.1 miles (roundtrip) and follows Onion Creek for the first mile before climbing sharply uphill for remaining approach. It is the most strenuous of the three routes, because it begins 500 feet lower in elevation than the Strawberry Basin Route and reaches the summit 1.5 miles sooner.
Camping Nearby:
- Strawberry Campground is a USFS campground co-located with the Strawberry Basin Trailhead, and offers 10 rustic campsites on a first-come, first-served basis. The campground has one vault toilet and a potable water spigot that is turned on seasonally (usually late-May/early June thru mid-October). There are no trash cans at the campground. Cost: $8 per campsite/vehicle, $4/night per extra vehicle.
- The Clyde Holliday Recreation Area is state campground located on US-26 just west of John Day, OR, and offers 31 electric sites, a hiker biker camp, 2 tepees, potable water, showers, flush toilets, picnic tables, and sits along the John Day River. This campground is open from March 1 to November 30. Cost: $26 per campsite; $46-56 for tepees. Non-guests can also shower at the campground for a $2 fee. Reservations are available online through Oregon State Parks. This campground is a good centrally-located spot for visiting the county high points in Morrow Co., Umatilla Co., and Grant Co.
Resources:
- Highpointing Strawberry Mountain (Peakbagger)
- Strawberry Mountain (SummitPost)
- Strawberry Basin Trail #375 (OregonHikers.org)