Elkhorn Scenic Byway
Elkhorn Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway in Oregon. Within Oregon it covers roughly 100 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Elkhorn Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Elkhorn Scenic Byway is a 106-mile loop through northeastern Oregon's Elkhorn Mountains, connecting historic gold-mining towns and alpine lakes in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Designated as both an Oregon state byway and a National Forest byway, the loop passes through Sumpter and Granite, former gold-rush boomtowns that still show traces of the dredge mining that reshaped the valley floor in the early 1900s. Higher up, the route climbs past Anthony Lake and Grande Ronde Lake, both set beneath the jagged granite peaks of the Elkhorn Range, with pullouts for hiking, fishing, and, in winter, access to Anthony Lakes Ski Area. Allowing five to seven hours for the full loop gives time to explore the mining ghost towns and stop at the lakes rather than just passing through. It's one of the more mountainous scenic byways in eastern Oregon, trading the region's high-desert scenery for granite peaks, alpine lakes, and a visible layer of gold-rush history.
- 106-mile loop
- Elkhorn Mountains
- Sumpter & Granite gold-mining towns
- Anthony Lake & Grande Ronde Lake
- Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
- Anthony Lakes Ski Area
Plan a drive on Elkhorn Scenic Byway →
What is a National Forest Scenic Byway?
National Forest Scenic Byways are routes designated by the U.S. Forest Service that thread through the mountains, canyons and old growth of America's national forests and grasslands.
Where to Stay along Elkhorn Scenic Byway
10 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Elkhorn Scenic Byway.
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