Criterion is an historic unincorporated community in Wasco County, in the U.S. state of Oregon.

[2] Nearby is Criterion Summit, which at about 3,360 feet (1,020 m) above sea level is the highest point along the highway between The Dalles to the north and Redmond to the south.

[3] In the late 19th century, the route over the summit was a wagon road linking The Dalles to Lakeview and California.

Although other local residents preferred the name Three Notches, for a large, notched juniper tree growing nearby, the Post Office rejected the two-word proposal in favor of the single word, Criterion.

It follows power lines and an old ranch trail used recently as a firebreak during a wildfire in 2011.