Coyote Hills to Warm Springs Summit — Ochoco National Forest High Divide via Antelope Flat (Oregon)

Most overlanders blow past the Ochoco Mountains on US-26 without realizing there’s a legitimate high-country network hiding above them. The route from Coyote Hills out of Prineville climbs through old-growth ponderosa pine, breaks out onto sagebrush flats at 5,000 feet, and works east across the Ochoco Divide toward Warm Springs Summit and the dramatic drop toward Antelope Flat Reservoir. The Painted Hills are visible from the high points. This is John Day Country — fossil beds, painted badlands, cattle ranches, and forest service roads that see more elk than trucks. The Ochoco Divide itself sits around 5,800 feet and offers dispersed camping on open flats with views that run for a hundred miles on a clear day.

The forest roads here are generally graded gravel — passable for most high-clearance rigs in dry conditions. After rain, the clay sections turn slick fast and the whole character changes. A locking differential helps but isn’t mandatory in summer. No permit required on national forest roads. Fuel in Prineville before you go — Mitchell is tiny and hours away. Best season is June through October; the high divide holds snow well into May. Cell service is essentially nonexistent once you’re off US-26. This is a route for people who want empty roads, dark skies, and a quiet that central Oregon does better than almost anywhere in the West.