Drive the Center Patrol Road
Starting at the headquarters of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which is 30 miles south of Burns, the gravel Center Patrol Road is the main artery through the marshes and fields of the refuge.
Get up before dawn and head down the CPR, as it’s usually called, and you’ll see an abundance of wildlife as the sun comes up. Short-eared owls hunt over the marshes with Northern harriers. Blackbirds are everywhere. Coyotes, antelope and mule deer proliferate. You’re likely also to see mink and otter and even badgers here.
Drive slowly and stop a lot. Landmarks, such as they are, include Benson Pond, site of a former homestead; Buena Vista Overlook, where you’ll briefly rejoin the highway; and P Ranch, once owned by Pete French but now part of the refuge. At the bottom end, 60 miles south, you’ll pop out on the pavement near Frenchglen, a good lunch stop.