Umatilla National Forest spans about 1.4 million acres in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, with most of it in Oregon. Named from a Umatilla Indian word meaning “water rippling over sand,” the region had a long history before the forest’s creation, including travel by Lewis and Clark, the Whitmans’ passage, and gold mining that left lasting traces. Established in 1908 and enlarged in 1920, the forest includes major wilderness areas and extensive old growth. It is known for diverse wildlife, recreation, the severe School Fire in 2005, and the recovery of hundreds of Native American artifacts returned to the Nez Perce tribe in 2025.