Outbound Collective logo

Day Hike the Granite Creek Trail to the North Fork John Day River Trail

Grant County, Oregon

Details

Distance

3 miles

Description

Added by Micah Burress

Four footbriges and a gentle grade take you to the North Fork of the John Day River in three miles from a trailhead 5 miles west of the historic town of Granite, Oregon. On the section between the second (older) footbridge and the third I saw bear tracks in the trail.

There are bears in this area I recommend carrying a non-lethal defense like bear spray. There are also buck elk and probably wolves. Bring plenty of water and a lunch. Although illegal in a wilderness area, someone has handcrafted a table and log round stools to use next to the river bridge in the shade with a rail for horses to tie to.

Services: Lodging Gas and Store are available in the town of Granite 5 miles away. Camping with restrooms tables and piped water is available 8 miles to the north of Granite at North Fork John Day Campground or 12 miles away at McCully Fork Campground. If you stay at McCully Fork you will have more choices to eat and get gas as you will only be 3 miles west of the town Sumpter, Oregon. Free Camping is available with restrooms only at Baldy Creek Trailhead 3 miles east of North Fork John Day Camp.

Access to trailhead is paved until 1 mi west of Granite. The remaining 4 miles when dry are good gravel road. If you have something like my Geo, drive slow and meander to keep tires on the high parts of the road.

Read More

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Chillin
Fishing
Photography
Running
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Family Friendly
Food Nearby
Forest
Picnic Area
River
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Day Hike the Granite Creek Trail to the North Fork John Day River Trail Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hike the Elkhorn Crest Lollipop from Anthony Lakes

Van Patten Lake

Hike the Elkhorn Crest Trail

Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Loop

Eagle Cap Wilderness Loop

Hidden Lake via East Eagle Trailhead