View of the Bowden Hills WSA, looking east, June 8, 2017, by Greg Shine, BLM.

The Bowden Hills Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is located along U.S. Highway 95 in Malheur County, Oregon, approximately 36 miles north of McDermitt, Nevada. The WSA contains 56,140 acres of public land and 1,920 acres of split estate (federally managed surface, state or privately owned subsurface mineral rights).

The WSA is roughly square in shape and is bordered mostly by BLM and Malheur County roads. U.S. Highway 95 forms about four miles of the southwestern boundary and fenced seedings border portions of the southern and southeastern edges. One quarter mile of the northeastern tip of the WSA adjoins private lands of the Bowden Ranch and four parcels of split estate are scattered along the boundary. All other adjoining lands are public.

Topography in the WSA consists of low rolling hills, running north and south, and associated benches and shallow valleys. A large flat area lies along the northwestern edge of the WSA. The eastern portion contains higher ridges and prominent rims. Surface water drains to the northwest and east via a number of small channels, and no perennial streams or springs exist. Vegetation is largely typical sagebrush bunchgrass.

The Bowden Hills WSA remains in a highly natural condition. Much of the eastern edge and the center of the study area are devoid of signs of human activity. Several human-made features in the WSA affect area's naturalness, roadways, small livestock reservoirs, and barbed-wire fence. These man made features are in the area's southwestern corner and influence approximately 14 percent of the WSA.

The large size and square configuration of the Bowden Hills WSA provides outstanding opportunities for solitude. The WSA also provides opportunities for hunting, sightseeing, horseback riding, day hiking, backpacking, camping, birdwatching, and photography.

Extensive areas of black sagebrush in the northern portion of the study area and large patches of sand dropseed along south-facing hillsides near the Whitehorse Road Junction with US Highway 95 are dependent upon unusual combinations of soils and exposure found in few locations in southeastern Oregon. These vegetative types are of some interest to soil scientists, botanists, and ecologists. The WSA lies within the range of the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) and rimrock areas in the eastern portion of the WSA provide nesting sites for golden eagles and several species of hawks. For more information, contact our Vale District Office: 100 Oregon Street Vale, OR 97918 541-473-3144