The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Why You Should Visit    

Nestled between the Ochoco Mountains on the north and the Maury Mountains on the south, this remarkably diverse Central Oregon landscape is accented by ancient western juniper trees and features an exceptional array of John Day and Clarno "painted hills" formations.

Juniper Hills serves as a vital migratory corridor for elk, antelope and other wildlife, and hosts a wide variety of wildflowers and grasses.

Location

Near Prineville, in Central Oregon

Size

13,920 acres

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing

Juniper Hills was created from the former Alaska Pacific Ranch, east of Prineville near the town of Post, Oregon's "geographic center." The preserve includes nearly 10,000 acres in public lands grazing allotments. To shape conservation strategies for the entire site, the Conservancy is working with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

Conservancy staff and volunteer teams inventory native plants, remove overcrowded junipers and patches of invasive non-native plants, repair fences, and expand discussions with neighbors and partners about the future of this great place.

Things To Do

What to See: Plants

Conservancy botanists have discovered 65 distinct plant communities at Juniper Hills, featuring many native bunch grass species including Thurber's needlegrass, Indian ricegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass. Endemic desert wildflowers thrive in the grasslands, such as the John Day penstemon and scabland milkvetch.

What to See: Animals

Pronghorn antelope, elk and other wildlife use Juniper Hills as a migratory corridor, and redband trout, a sensitive species, are known to frequent preserve creeks into the Crooked River. A diversity of birds nest and forage here; observers have tallied over 70 species.

Plan Your Visit

Juniper Hills Preserve is closed to public access for a few weeks each fall. For more information, please contact Erin Barnholdt, preserve steward, at ebarnholdt@tnc.org.

Please observe the following guidelines while hiking:

• Stay on the trail. Do not climb the hills or disturb their extremely fragile surface.
• Don't collect plants, insects or other species or disturb soil, rocks, artifacts or scientific research markers.
• No dogs. Preserves harbor ground-nesting birds and other wildlife that are extremely sensitive to disturbance.
• No bicycles or motorized vehicles. Native plants and research sites are easily trampled.
• No hunting, camping or campfires.
• For groups of 10 or more, please contact us before visiting a preserve (a volunteer naturalist guide may be available).
• Please bring a bag and carry out any trash you find.
• Please report to us any problems you observe (e.g., camping, plant removal, hunting, off-road vehicle damage, etc).

Directions

• From Portland, take Highway 26 east to Prineville, approximately 150 miles. Continue on Highway 26 through Prineville. 
• From Prineville, turn right on Paulina Highway/SR380 (the sign will read Prineville Reservoir/Paulina). Zero your odometer or mind the mile markers. 
• At 1.2 miles, stay left, do NOT go to Prineville Reservoir. 
• At 29.3 miles, sections of the preserve will begin to appear on your left. There are two designated public access points to Juniper Hills Preserve.
• Access point #1 is on your left at 34.6 miles. This is a gravel road that leads up to the barn and the Lost Creek reservoir, the most common rendezvous points on the preserve. 
• Access point #2 is on your left at mile 36. This area contains excellent examples of the "painted hills" formations.

Discussion

Have you been to this preserve? Are you thinking of visiting? See what others are saying about their experiences and add your comments below.

Add Your Comments

Time for you to join the discussion. Tell us about your experience at this preserve. What plants and animals did you see? When did you go? You can help others plan their visit when you share your thoughts. And thank you for visiting one of our nature preserves!

Read our guidelines on posting comments