Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Oregon / Eastern Oregon

Strawberry Mountain Wilderness Loop (Strawberry, High, and Slide Lakes)

Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, Malheur National Forest (Strawberry Campground, south of Prairie City)

The Strawberry Mountains rise southeast of John Day, and the Forest Service says the 68,700-acre wilderness holds seven glacier-carved alpine lakes, with Strawberry Mountain topping out at 9,038 feet. This loop strings together four of those lakes and a high ridge walk from Strawberry Campground.

Fire has reshaped the area. The Forest Service warns of downed trees, overgrown tread, little shade, and fire-weakened snags, so treat this as a rugged trip.

The hike

The trailhead is at Strawberry Campground, at the end of Forest Road 6001, about 11 miles south of Prairie City on a road TrailsNW describes as passable by passenger cars. TrailsNW gives 15 miles for the loop, with a low point of 5,760 feet and a high point of 8,300.

A gradual climb of a little over a mile reaches Strawberry Lake, where a side trail circles the shore. The main trail continues about half a mile along Strawberry Creek to Strawberry Falls, then passes a side trail to Little Strawberry Lake. TrailsNW then describes a climb of about 1,000 feet in 1.5 miles to a saddle and a westward traverse above a meadow; at the next saddle, a spur to the right climbs Strawberry Mountain. Calipidder’s author, who took that side trip, mentions an old cabin and mountain goats on the cliffs.

The loop stays near 8,200 feet for about 1.5 miles, passes the Roads End and High Lake Rim trailheads (following an old roadbed briefly), then drops 1.5 miles to High Lake, which TrailsNW says has several campsites. TrailsNW notes that the area west of the trail and down in the valley appears recently burned, and Calipidder hiked through “a recent burn” on the way to High Lake.

About 1.5 miles past High Lake, continue straight at the Trail #379 junction and descend into the Slide Creek valley. A side trail leads under a quarter mile to Slide Lake. Backpacker’s 2013 Slide Lake trip describes a glacier-carved amphitheater, colorful volcanic outcrops, “tall, wispy” Slide Creek Falls, and lakeshore wildflowers. The loop then descends and turns west to the Strawberry Lake Trail, a mile from the trailhead.

The Forest Service says most visitors come July through November, that snow can fall at high elevations any time of year, and that summer thunderstorms often come in multi-day cycles. Calipidder’s author describes washouts and some exposure.

For another eastern Oregon ridge trip, see the Elkhorn Crest Trail.

Tips

Camping

Camping is dispersed in the wilderness. The Malheur’s pages say only that wilderness regulations apply and that visitors must pack out everything they bring; group-size and setback rules weren’t listed, so ask the Prairie City Ranger District (541-820-3800). Strawberry Campground at the trailhead has vault toilets.

Backpacker lists several small sites on Slide Lake’s west side, sites at Little Slide Lake, and a small tarn at Upper Slide Lake. TrailsNW lists several sites at High Lake.

Inside Intel: Calipidder’s author camped the first night at Little Strawberry Lake and called it and High Lake good swimming lakes. An Oregon Hikers forum poster also camped near Little Strawberry Lake after finding the main spot taken, and another poster recommended Onion Creek Meadow near the peak for flowers, water, and campsites.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Supper at Little Strawberry Lake:

A long day on the 8,000-foot ridge ends at a lake camp on this loop. See which trail dinners testers rate.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.