Eastern Lake County

Hart Mountain National Antelope Wildlife Refuge

If you like isolation, you will like Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. It is especially liked by pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and sage grouse, four major wildlife inhabitants of this sprawling refuge. A 251,000-acre piece of the high desert in southern Oregon, Hart Mountain NAR sits atop a ridge that rises an abrupt 3000 feet on its west side and then slopes gently eastward. With no electric service and a 65-mile drive to the closest major town. Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge is located on a massive fault block ridge that ascends abruptly nearly three quarters of a mile above the Warner Valley floor in a series of rugged cliffs, steep slopes, and knife-like ridges. Visitors experience spectacular views of the beautiful Warner Valley Wetlands while ascending the west side entrance road to headquarters.The west face of the mountain is cut by several deep gorges. Hart, Potter, and DeGarmo canyons, the most rugged, extend from the valley floor to the top of the main ridge. The east side of the mountain is less precipitous, descending in a series of rolling hills and low ridges to the sagebrush-grasslands typical of southeastern Oregon and the Great Basin. The rugged diversity of the terrain creates a rich mix of habitat types, home to more than 300 species of wildlife. Featured species include pronghorn antelope, California bighorn sheep, mule deer, sage grouse, and redband trout. The 278,000-acre refuge is one of the most expansive wildlife habitats in the arid West free of domestic livestock. Since its creation in 1936 as a range for remnant herds of pronghorn antelope, management of the refuge has broadened to include conservation of all wildlife species characteristic of this high desert habitat and restoration of native ecosystems. Over 200 resident and 39 migratory birds species use the refuge