• Home
  • How We Work
  • Where We Work
  • News Room
  • About Us
  • My Nature Page

The Nature Conservancy in Africa - Conservation in Africa

The Nature Conservancy in Asia Pacific - Conservation in Asia-Pacific

The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean - Conservation in the Caribbean

The Nature Conservancy in Central America - Conservation in Central America

The Nature Conservancy in North America - Conservation in North America

The Nature Conservancy in the United States - Conservation in the United States

The Nature Conservancy in South America - Conservation in South America

Juniper Hills

©Alan D. St. John
 

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

Location
Near Prineville, in central Oregon

Size
13,920 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please do not climb the hills or disturb their extremely fragile surface. For more information, please see our Preserve Visitation Guidelines.

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.
No motor vehicles are allowed on the preserve. In addition, Juniper Hills Preserve is closed to public access for a few weeks each fall. For more information, please contact jfields@tnc.org.

What to See: Plants
Conservancy botanists have discovered 65 distinct plant communities at Juniper Hills, featuring many native bunchgrass 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. Redband trout, a sensitive species, are known to frequent creeks flowing through the preserve into the Crooked River. A diversity of birds nest and forage on the preserve; observers have tallied over 70 species.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Juniper Hills is carved out of the 18,634-acre Alaska Pacific Ranch, east of Prineville near the town of Post, Oregon's "geographic center." The ranch includes 23,000 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 have been working at the preserve to 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 Juniper Hills.