The Umatilla National Forest, primarily within the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, covers an area of 1.4 million acres (5,700 km2) and located in a total of some ten counties of both states. More than three-quarters of the forest lies in the state of Oregon, with the National Forest headquarters found in Pendleton, Oregon. Too, there are local ranger district offices in Heppner and Ukiah in Oregon, and in Pomeroy and Walla Walla in Washington.

The Umatilla National Forest takes its name from the Umatilla Indian word meaning water rippling over sand. Explorers Lewis and Clark passed through the area in 1805 on the Columbia River, and Marcus and Narcissa Whitman passed through this area in 1836 to establish a mission at Wailatpu near Walla Walla, Washington.

Thousands of emigrants following the Oregon Trail west, passed through this region and many remained in the Blue Mountain Ecoregion. Then, the discovery of gold in Oregon in 1851 led to the settlement of the North Fork John Day River area with the result being that more than ten million dollars in gold and silver were mined, and remnants of that mass mining era are still visible in the National Forest, with some claims still being mined.

Umatilla National Forest, located in the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, covers 1.4 million acres of diverse landscapes and plant communities. The Forest has some mountainous terrain, but most of the area consists of v-shaped valleys separated by narrow ridges or plateaus. The landscape includes heavily timbered slopes, grassland ridges and benches, and bold basalt outcroppings with elevations from 1,600 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Summers are generally warm and dry with cool evenings. Cold, snowy winters and mild temperatures during spring and fall can be expected.

The Umatilla National Forest supports one of the largest herds of Rocky Mountain elk within any national forest in the US. Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep can be found in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area (WA). Other mammals include the mule deer.

Birdes of the forest include bald eagle, Lewis′s woodpecker, Williamson′s sapsucker, red-breasted nuthatch, golden-crowned kinglet and many migratory species. The blue and ruffed grouse populate the springs, streams and rivers. Merriam turkeys have been released in some areas.

Chinook salmon, steelhead, and rainbow trout are found in the Grande Ronde, Umatilla, Wenaha-Tucannon, Walla Walla and North Fork John Day rivers, and many of their tributaries. Also, some areas have redband trout, bull trout and Pacific Lamprey.

The Forest has some mountainous terrain, but most of the area consists of v-shaped valleys separated by narrow ridges and/or plateaus. The landscape includes heavily timbered slopes, grassland ridges and benches, and bold basalt out-croppings with elevations from 1,600 to 8,000 feet above sea level.

Summers are generally warm and dry with cool evenings. Cold, snowy winters and mild temperatures during spring and fall can be expected.

The Grande Ronde River is navigable with rubber rafts, canoes, kayaks, and rowboats with a shallow draft that are built especially to withstand heavy abuse.

During an average year, stream flows can be too low for floating from July to September. It is best to float the river when the stream flow is between 2,000 and 8,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Stream flow records are kept by the Army Corps of Engineers in Walla Walla.

The North Fork John Day River (NFJD) means a lot of things to a lot of people. To river rafters it means rapids that are challenging enough for seasoned veterans, yet easy enough (on the lower section) for beginners. For floaters, one of the most popular sections of the river is from Dale to Monument. Rapids on this section of the NFJD are generally categorized as Class 2+ Rapids. At higher water the river takes on a Class 3- character. The length of the journey is 40 miles and it winds through forested canyons and past several feed-in creeks. The NFJD is fed primarily by snowpack in the Blue Mountains so its flow is very seasonal. Peak flow is usually in April and in some places can be as high as 20,000 cfs. Average flow is around 6,000 cfs. The best time to run the North Fork John Day is in April and May when the flow is near its peak.

Campground and picnic sites, designed to blend with the forest environment, are located away from traffic and commercial development. Campfire permits are not required though campfires may be prohibited during the late summer and early falls months due to the fire danger. The length of stay at any one site is limited to 14 days on a first-come, first-serve basis. In several campgrounds, where more facilities and services are provided, a fee is charged for overnight use. Campgrounds do not have electricity, showers, of sewage disposal (except for waste disposal dump stations at Bull Prairie and Tollgate Guard Station).

Olive Lake, covering 145 acres, is the only natural lake over three acres in size on the Forest. Bull Prairie Lake, 24 acres; Jubilee Lake 97 acres; and Penland Lake, 70 acres, were developed cooperatively by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the USDA Forest Service.

Sightseers may drive over 2,000 miles of forest roads, hike or ride over 715 miles of trails, pick wild mushrooms or huckleberries, select from more than 20 campgrounds throughout the forest, and float the Grande Ronde or North Fork John Day rivers from April through June.

Over twenty percent of the Umatilla National Forest land base is Wilderness Areas.

The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness contains 177,400 acres, the North Fork John Day Wilderness contains over 121,800 acres, and the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness contains 20,200 acres.

Upon my drive north in 2010, I crossed through the Blue Mountains and the Umatilla National Forest, which had a winter storm in this forest. When driving through Deadman Pass at elevation 3631 feet, I took this photo of the winter conditions.

Still, I was ale to drive all the way to Puget Sound without any problems.