Unfortunately, the public is locked out of this privately owned area, but the road around the 10,000-acre prairie is public, and wildlife can be viewed from the road with binoculars. Antelope can be seen from Forest Service Road 42, and there is another herd that can be seen near the end of Forest Service Road 30-050. At the intersection of Dudley Creek and Forest Service Road 42 is a beaver colony. Elk can be seen all over the prairie but most often along Forest Service Road 22 and Forest Service Road 4210. The north fork of the wild and scenic Crooked River travels along the southern edge of the prairie.
Cattle graze the prairie in summer.
The Big Summit Prairie is actually even more famous for its wildflowers. The blooms reach their peak in May and June. Wild peonies, Missouri iris, mountain ladyslippers, as well as the rare Peck's mariposa lily found only in the Ochocos, can be identified with a brochure called Wildflowers of Big Summit Prairie , published by the Ochoco National Forest, the BLM, the Native Plant Society of Oregon and the Crook County Chamber of Commerce. It is available free at Ochoco forest and BLM offices. Erosion removed the dirt from around this welded tuff of lava, leaving an outstanding landmark.