Miners Retreat
- 1
- sites
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Miners Retreat open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Umatilla National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Umatilla National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
- 1 siteReservable on Recreation.gov
- At 4,956 ft
- Near UkiahNorth Fork John Day Ranger District · Umatilla National Forest
Miner's Retreat is an old Forest Service cabin that allows guests to relax in the outdoors and also step back in time to when the cabin was used during the bygone gold mining days. Miner's Retreat is part of the Fremont Powerhouse complex, a hub for mining built in the early 1900s. It is one of four cabins located at the site near the town of Granite, and provides great flexibility for larger groups. The surrounding valleys once teemed with mining activity, primarily gold. The Fremont Powerhouse was built in 1908 as an economical method for mining. Two dams were constructed at Olive Lake, and water from the lake was piped through an 8-mile wood and steel pipeline to the powerhouse to generate electricity. Homes were constructed to shelter workers who monitored the pipeline. Today, these same shelters are where visitors can stay overnight. The cabin is uphill from the Fremont Powerhouse, flanked by Caretakers Cabin and Hilltop Hideaway. Winter access may require skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles. Click here for a virtual tour of the area.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Miners Retreat
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
34° / 15°
14 wet
Feb
39° / 18°
12 wet
Mar
46° / 23°
13 wet
Apr
53° / 28°
12 wet
May
62° / 34°
12 wet
Jun
71° / 39°
9 wet
Jul
83° / 43°
5 wet
Aug
83° / 42°
4 wet
Sep
73° / 35°
5 wet
Oct
59° / 28°
7 wet
Nov
42° / 22°
12 wet
Dec
33° / 16°
15 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Austin 3 S, OR, 15.3 mi away at 4,213 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more campsites worth the drive
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Peavy Cabin
~24 min drive
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Mud Lake Campground
~30 min drive
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Antlers Guard Station Cabin
~26 min drive
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Anthony Lake
~30 min drive
BED
Caretakers Cabin
Next door
BED
Congo Gulch
Next door
BED
Hilltop Hideaway - Umatilla NF (OR)
Next door
BED
Black Butte Camp
~13 min drive
Black Butte Camp is a campground in Oregon.
BED
Head O' Boulder Forest Camp
~17 min drive
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McCully Forks Campground
~21 min drive
Forested campground along Elkhorn Drive Byway near historic Sumpter and Sumpter Valley Dredge State Park.
Also worth it near here
Sheep Rock
~3 min drive
Photo: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Lost Creek Trail
~7 min drive
Middle Fork John Day River
~22 min drive
SEE
Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort
~29 min drive
Miners Retreat
1 site