Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

General Trip Planning Information

The Oregon Badlands Wilderness is topographically flat with juniper trees and modest rock outcrops providing vegetative screening and plenty of solitude. You will find no trail signs or markers but may see a number of user-created trails which do not appear on maps. Getting around can be challenging in the Badlands Wilderness and visitors should be competent in land navigation skills.

Badlands Rock Trail - In-and-out hike or horse ride; 6.0 miles, round trip; No water or services; Elevation gain/loss: 75 feet

The Badlands Rock Trail is a seasonally open two-track trail that traverses the Badlands Wilderness to a large rock outcrop with 360-degree views of Central Oregon. To protect wildlife during the breeding season, Badlands Rock is closed to all uses annually from March 1 until as late as August 31. Trailhead access is located at the Badlands Rock Trailhead, approximately 18 miles southeast of Bend, Oregon. From Bend, drive 17.9 miles east on State Highway 20. Turn left at the large gravel piles, cross a cattle guard, and proceed one mile northeast along a paved road. Park at the Bureau of Land Management kiosk and proceed 3 miles north along the Badlands Rock Trail to Badlands Rock. A map is available at the trailhead, but no trail signs are present. To protect wildlife during the breeding season, Badlands Rock is closed to all uses annually from March 1 until as late as August 31.

Flatiron Trail - In-and-out hike or horse ride with shorter looping options; 5.0-6.0 miles, round trip, depending on route taken; No water or services; Elevation gain/loss: 60 feet

The Flatiron Trail is a two-track trail that skirts the flank of the relatively nondescript Badlands shield volcano and gently descends to an unusual rock outcrop known as the Flatiron. Here, one can walk in an oblong-shaped moat, or crack for a lunar-like hiking experience. The trail continues to the north boundary of Badlands Wilderness. Trailhead access is located at the Flatiron Trailhead, 16 miles east of Bend, Oregon. Trailhead coordinates are in Zone 10 of the UTM coordinate system based on the North American Datum of 1927 (656399E 4868801N).

Rockhounding, vending, and the use of paint ball guns are prohibited within the Badlands Wilderness as is the cutting of trees or vegetation. Geocaching is allowed within the Badlands Wilderness. However, there is a limit of 17 geocaches at a time.