The Ochoco Mountains draw visitors for hiking, camping, bird watching, rockhounding, and hunting, as well as cross-country skiing in the winter.

From 37 to 17 million years ago, eruptions in the western Cascade Range spread ash across eastern Oregon, forming the John Day Formation.

[4] During the Eocene epoch, central Oregon volcanoes deposited layers of lava and ash up to 1,000 feet (300 m) thick over the area that is now the Ochoco Mountains.

Manzanita, antelope bitterbrush, and ceanothus are common shrubs in the pine-dominated areas with Idaho fescue and Ross' sedge as the main ground cover.

Birds commonly found in the pine forests of the Ochoco Mountains include the northern flicker, hairy woodpecker, red-tailed hawk, and Steller's jay.

Central Oregon's ponderosa pine forests are an important winter range for mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk.

[7] On the drier, eastern side of the Ochoco Mountains, the western juniper trees survive on as little as 8 inches (200 mm) of precipitation per year.

Antelope bitterbrush and sagebrush are common shrubs in these areas with Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass as the main ground cover.

[7] Big Summit Prairie is a large high-country meadow covering 20 square miles (52 km2) in the middle of the Ochoco Mountains.

Larger animals include mule deer, pronghorn, Belding's ground squirrel, northern pocket gopher, meadow mice, and coyotes.

In June and July, other flowers take over the display including Missouri iris, larkspur, Indian paintbrush, checkermallow, and arrowleaf balsamroot.

Butterfly species common to the Big Summit Prairie include hairstreak, skipper, eastern tailed-blue, Lycaenidae, checkerspot, fritillary, swallowtail, admiral, and tortoiseshell.

There are also some rare rocks and minerals in central Oregon in or near the Ochoco Mountains, including opals, amethyst, gem quality calcite, cinnabar, selenite, gypsum, and amygdaloid nodules.