The Badlands, located just 15 miles east of Bend, is a 30,000 acre area containing fascinating lava flows and ancient junipers.  This area was named for its harsh terrain and fantastic rock formations.  Within this landscape, one can find incredible displays of desert wildflowers, dry river canyons, castle-like rock formations, and Native American pictographs.

Volunteers have been working for over a decade to protect the Badlands as Wilderness. And with the recent release of an economic study showing that Badlands Wilderness would be good for Central Oregon's economic health, support is broadening every day. 

(Click here to view report)

Backed by a local rancher, recreation and conservation groups, and almost two hundred local businesses, Badlands is poised to become Central Oregon's first desert Wilderness. 

The Badlands’ current status is a Wilderness Study Area (WSA), a designation that imposes fewer restrictions than wilderness designation, and does not offer the permanency that wilderness does.  Recognizing the need to provide recreation opportunities for non-motorized users, protect natural resources, and minimize conflicts among visitors, the BLM closed the Badlands to motorized use in their 2005 Resource Management Plan.