Anthony Lakes offers year-round adventure in Baker County's Elkhorn Mountains

Anthony Lakes is one of Baker County’s clearest examples of a place that works in more than one season. About 35 miles northwest of Baker City in the Elkhorn Mountains, it serves as both a winter ski area and a high-country summer basecamp, with the same elevation and terrain driving very different uses across the calendar.

A mountain built by locals

Anthony Lakes has deep roots in Eastern Oregon ski culture. The ski area officially opened on January 12, 1963, beginning with a rope tow and poma-lift, and its only chairlift was added in 1967. The resort traces local skiing back to the 1930s, when winter recreation was still being shaped by residents in the Elkhorn Mountains.

That local identity mattered again in 2010, when Anthony Lakes was saved from closure after local leaders and a county-backed nonprofit stepped in. Since then, Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association has run the mountain as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission is straightforward: strengthen Northeast Oregon communities through accessible and affordable year-round outdoor recreation, education and stewardship, with a special emphasis on local youth.

The mountain’s base elevation of 7,100 feet helps explain why it can function as more than a ski hill. It brings the cool summer temperatures that make hiking and camping comfortable at a time when lower elevations can be hot, while also supporting the snowpack and ski season that define winter. In practical terms, the same elevation that makes Anthony Lakes a cold-weather destination also gives Baker County a dependable high-country escape when the weather turns warm.

What summer opens up

In summer, Anthony Lakes shifts from lift-served snow to trail access, fishing, and overnight stays. The resort highlights the Starbottle Saloon, the Broadway Flow Trail, fishing and hiking in the Elkhorn Mountains, and Creston’s Yurt as part of the warm-weather experience. That mix gives the area a role that goes beyond sightseeing: it becomes a place to ride, camp, stay overnight and spend a full day or a full weekend in the hills.

Travel Oregon identifies the 9-mile Anthony Lake Loop as the best-known hike in the area. The route crosses Angell Pass and a portion of the 23-mile Elkhorn Crest National Recreation Trail, which makes it useful for hikers who want a longer backcountry feel without needing to piece together a route from scratch. The trail network also gives the mountain a broader pull for visitors who want a destination hike with high-country scenery and a clear point of reference in Anthony Lake.

Mountain biking adds another layer. Riders can use 8 miles of Nordic ski trails as single-track in summer, along with routes such as the Broadway Flow Trail, Lily Pad Lake Trail, Hoffer Lakes Trail and Dutch Flat Mountain Bike Trail. That makes Anthony Lakes a place where trail users are not limited to a single activity or a single style of ride. A family, a hiker and a biker can all find something to do without leaving the same recreation area.

Camp, paddle and stay above the lake

Anthony Lake Campground is the most established overnight base in the area. Recreation.gov says it sits at 7,100 feet in the Anthony Lakes Recreation Area, is the largest of the three campgrounds there, and rests on a bluff above Anthony Lake among boulders and mixed conifers. That setting matters because it places campers in the middle of the same high-country landscape that defines the rest of the area’s summer use.

The campground and recreation area also support boating, canoeing, kayaking and trout fishing. Trail access reaches the 22.6-mile Elkhorn Crest National Recreation Trail, along with the 1-mile Black Lake Trail and Shoreline Trail, which gives campers and day visitors multiple ways to move through the landscape without needing to drive from place to place. In a county where outdoor access is part of the local identity, that concentration of activity at one elevation makes Anthony Lakes unusually practical.

Union Creek campground complex and Anthony Lake campground complex are also part of the stewardship picture. Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association says it operates the ski area under a USDA Forest Service special-use permit and manages both campground complexes in Baker County. That means the same organization is tied to winter operations, summer camping and the day-to-day management that keeps the area usable for the public.

Why the mountain matters beyond recreation

Anthony Lakes is not only a scenic destination. It is part of Baker County’s seasonal economy and one of the clearest examples of recreation that produces measurable local returns. Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association says winter operations bring about $1.5 million to local communities through lodging partnerships, lift-ticket programs, Baker 5J School discounts, local expenses and staff wages.

That figure helps explain why the mountain remains central even when snow is not falling. Lodging, wages and local spending connect the ski area to Baker City and the surrounding county in ways that go well beyond the slopes. The same is true in summer, when trail use, camping and fishing keep people moving through the area and give local businesses another reason to benefit from high-country traffic.

Anthony Lakes has lasted because it serves several constituencies at once: local families, school groups, skiers, bikers, campers and day users who want access to the Elkhorns without a complicated trip. The mountain’s history, nonprofit stewardship and federal-land partnership have turned it into a year-round utility asset for Baker County, one that keeps working in January, July and every month in between.