Located in parts of the Wallowa-Whitman and Umatilla National Forests, the North Fork John Day Wilderness is a 121,352-acre worth of wilderness in northeastern Oregon. It has four separate units, divided to better organize the management of the site.

The North Fork John Day Wilderness is notable for allowing the use of Prescribed Natural Fire under specific conditions, as per the guidelines of the Elkhorn Fire Management Area. The site is also rich with remnants of historic structures from the mining days of the site, which dates back to the 1800s, when it was still mined for gold and silver.

Today, however, the North Fork John Day Wilderness is already a preserved area, only used for public recreation like camping, hunting, fishing, rafting, wildlife watching, and rock climbing to name a few.