As you hike higher, you will find subalpine fir, just below the treeless mountain crests. The area's diverse wildlife habitat is used by bear, deer, elk, badgers, and the rare wolverine. The visiting season here generally runs between June and November. The John Day Valley funnels winter storms and summer thundershowers to the mountain ridges here. As a result the area receives 40 inches of annual precipitation, twice as much as the surrounding, arid lowlands.
Summer brings hot days and chilly nights.
Hunting is the most popular activity, with hiking and backpacking increasing in popularity. Table Rock Lookout draws many visitors and is one of the entry points to the Wilderness. The fire lookout tower on Table Mountain is a good place to begain a visit to the Monument Rock area. A fork of this trail winds close to Monument Rock and continues 5 miles along a scenic ridgecrest to Lone Rock. To reach the trailhead from Prairie City, turn south from Highway 26 on Main Street, follow a paved road southeast 9 miles, turn left onto Road 13 for 12 miles, then take Road 1370 to the left.