Austin Junction News Today

Riley Gill was cold, wet and a little bit worried. High up in the Strawberry Mountains, the young man from Springfield was a couple of days into an attempt to become just the seventh known hiker to complete the Blue Mountains Trail, a challenging route that connects all the major mountain ranges in Northeast Oregon in a 530-mile spiral that starts in Joseph and ends in John Day. Gill was hoping to become the first to complete the route in reverse, starting from the John Day end and hiking south ...

LA GRANDE — The Oregon Department of Transportation will plow and sand some snow-covered highways less often this winter in Northeastern Oregon.

The idea of a long-distance hiking trail showcasing Northeast Oregon’s most spectacular landscapes has been around since the 1960s. The Blue Mountains Trail, which officially opened in 2021, links all four of the region’s major mountain ranges — the Strawberries, Greenhorns, Elkhorns and Wallowas.

Riley Gill was cold, wet and a little bit worried. High up in the Strawberry Mountains, the young man from Springfield was a couple of days into an attempt to become just the seventh known hiker to complete the Blue Mountains Trail, a challenging route that connects all the major mountain ranges in Northeast Oregon in a 530-mile spiral that starts in Joseph and ends in John Day. Gill was hoping to become the first to complete the route in reverse, starting from the John Day end and hiking south ...

AUSTIN JUNCTION — A Bend man died when the pickup truck he was driving crashed into a tree beside Highway 26 near border of Baker and Grant counties west of

Mark Ward won’t get too excited about snowpack statistics the first week of January.

Nature delivered an early Christmas gift to snowmobile riders in Northeastern Oregon.

BAKER CITY — Driving a snowplow is a daunting task, particularly when you can’t see the plow.

ANTHONY LAKES — Peter Johnson is not the sort who begrudges a blizzard.