North Fork John Day Wilderness is a protected backcountry in northeastern Oregon’s Blue Mountains, spread across four units in the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests. Its terrain includes benchlands, steep ridges, alpine lake basins, granite peaks, extensive old conifer forest, and the headwaters of several creeks and the North Fork John Day River, with 39 miles of that river protected as Wild and Scenic. The area’s rocks record origins in a Pacific volcanic island archipelago later joined to North America, followed by uplift and basalt flows. Remains of 19th-century gold and silver mining survive here, alongside rich wildlife habitat and extensive recreation opportunities.