Wildfire closures at Anthony Lakes cost Baker County summer revenue
Fire closures shut down campgrounds, cabins and the Summer at the Starbottle at Anthony Lakes, cutting off summer income just as the Anthony Fire grew to 1,948 acres.
Wildfire activity at Anthony Lakes shut down the Summer at the Starbottle, closed three campgrounds, two rental cabins and three yurts, and cut off one of Baker County’s busiest summer revenue streams just as the mountain season was underway. The closure hit Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association operations first, then spread outward to nearby businesses that rely on visitors coming off the forest roads north of Baker City.
The Anthony Fire started July 8, 2026, according to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, about 34 miles north of Baker City. By July 10, it was estimated at 1,825 acres and 0% contained. By July 16, the update had pushed the fire to 1,948 acres and 6% containment, with Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 evacuations reported around the fire area.
Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association said the Summer at the Starbottle was closed due to fire activity and asked visitors to respect road closures while firefighters worked the fire. Those closures matter quickly in a short summer season: every day the roads stay restricted means fewer nights sold in cabins and yurts, fewer campground fees collected, and less traffic for any business counting on people to stop for food, fuel or supplies on the way in and out of the mountains.
The access problem also ripples beyond the ski area itself. Anthony Lakes sits in a part of Baker County where road conditions, forest access and weather already shape whether visitors can arrive and spend money. When the forest closes roads or posts evacuation orders, those reservations disappear first, followed by the day-use spending that supports the broader tourism economy in and around Baker County.
A July 13 Forest Service post placed the fire about 34 miles north of Baker City, and a July 10 story noted that a 2017 fire scar was helping slow its spread. That terrain may have limited the fire’s movement, but it did not keep the shutdown from reaching the bottom line at Anthony Lakes. With the fire still active on July 16, the summer revenue loss had already become part of the cost of the blaze.
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