Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests
Crooked River National Grassland

Trivia

• The Deschutes National Forest covers nearly 1,600,000 acres of public lands and is twice as large as the state of Rhode Island.
  
  
• The Ochoco National Forest covers over 850,000 acres of public lands.
  
  
• The Crooked River Grassland (which is administered by the Ochoco N.F.) covers an additional 112,000 acres of public lands.
  
  
• The The Forests provide direct and indirect economic benefit for more than 50,000 persons who gain a portion of their livelihood from the Forest's business and activities.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest contains 182,740 acres of designated wilderness, distributed among 5 wilderness areas.
  
  
• The Ochoco National Forest contains 36,200 acres of designated wilderness, distributed among 3 wilderness areas.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest includes the headwaters of the Deschutes and Metolius Rivers, which support ten species of game fish.
  
  
• The Ochoco National Forest includes the headwaters of the North Fork of the Crooked River.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest provides drinking water for the cities of Bend and Sisters.
  
  
• Both Forests are the source of water used for irrigation on much of Central Oregon's agricultural lands.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest has the largest downhill ski area in the Pacific Northwest. Mt. Bachelor receives over 700,000 visitors annually.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest has been inhabited and used by people for over 9,000 years.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest has 1,388 miles of trails, including nearly 60 miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest has 157 lakes and reservoirs providing sport fishing opportunities.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest has the largest variety of volcanic formations in the lower 48 states and is known internationally for such.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest has one of the finest examples of an obsidian flow in the world.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest is the largest supplier of pumice in the Northwest.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest was the training grounds for the Apollo astronaut program in the 1960s.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest is located on the shores of the ancient Fort Rock Lake.
  
  
• The Deschutes National Forest has one of the highest geothermal potentials in the United States.
  
  
• The Forest had the first summer homes in the Pacific Northwest.
  
  
• The Three Sisters appear as the "Three Sisters" on Preston's map of Oregon of 1856. The name was probably originally applied by members of the Methodist Mission in Salem in the early 1840's, and the individual peaks were given the names "Mount Faith", "Mount Hope", and "Mount Charity", beginning from the north.

USDA Forest Service - Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests
Last Modified: Tuesday, 04 January 2011 at 17:55:00 EST