Fremont–Winema National Forest

Protected area in the U. S. state of Oregon

The Fremont–Winema National Forest is a United States National Forest formed from the 2002 merger of the Fremont and Winema National Forests. They cover territory in southern Oregon from the crest of the Cascade Range on the west past the city of Lakeview to the east. The northern end of the forests is bounded by U. S. Route 97 on the west and Oregon Route 31 on the east. To the south, the state border with California forms the boundary of the forests. Klamath Falls is the only city of significant size in the vicinity. The forests are managed by the United States Forest Service, and the national forest headquarters are located in Lakeview.

The Fremont National Forest was named after John C. Frémont, who explored the area for the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1843. It is located in western Lake and eastern Klamath counties in Oregon and has a land area of There are local ranger district offices located in Bly, Lakeview, Paisley, and Silver Lake. The Warner Canyon Ski Area was part of Fremont until a land swap transferred ownership to Lake County. And Toby 'Winema' Riddle, a Modoc woman who served as a translator for the US Army during the Modoc War of 1872 to 1873.

Founded in 1908, the Fremont National Forest was originally protected as the Goose Lake Forest Reserve in 1906. The name was soon changed to Fremont National Forest. It absorbed part of Paulina National Forest on July 19, 1915. In 2002, it was administratively combined with the Winema National Forest as the Fremont–Winema National Forests.

A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth (economic definition) in the forest was , of which were lodgepole pine forests. The sites of two former uranium mines, the White King and Lucky Lass mines, are within the Fremont National Forest. They are now remediated Superfund sites, and related Lakeview Mining Company uranium mill has also been remediated.

Common recreational activities in the Fremont National Forest include hiking, camping, boating, backpacking, horseback riding, mountain biking, skiing, hunting, and fishing. The 50 mile (80 km) Fremont National Recreation Trail runs northwest–southeast between Government Harvey Pass and Cox Pass in the forest.

There are about 925 species of documented vascular plants in the Fremont National Forest. Black bears, cougars and bobcats are also present in smaller populations.