Strawberry Mountain, NE Ridge

Activity Notes

Strawberry Mountain is the highest mountain in eastern Oregon's Strawberry range. The trailhead is up a bad road south of Prairie City OR. The summit is the only one where I've ever seen swarming ticks, hence the recommendation for long pants and long-sleeve shirts. There is a strong possibility of snow on our route. I may or may not later remove ice axes and crampons from the gear list. 

We will leave Portland at 07:00 on Sat 6/27/2026, stopping for lunch along the way and starting our backpack at 14:00. Directions are at https://maps.app.goo.gl/gzYCHB7BbdcqLicb6.

This is a one-night backpack, and the closest camping at beautiful Strawberry Lake is only 1.1 miles away, with 575' of gain. But because it's a Saturday, if all the sites are taken we may need to hike another 2 miles to Little Strawberry Lake, which is 0.6 miles off our route. I've never had to do this on previous visits, but the possibility exists. So we may or may not have time on our hands Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday we will climb the mountain (9,035'), return to camp, pack up, hike out, and drive home. We will begin our climb at 05:30, shortly after sunrise. Expected stats are 10.3 miles with 2,875' of gain. We will pace ourselves, as most of us live near sea level.