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In the middle 19th century, the Blue Mountains were a formidable obstacle on the Oregon Trail and was often the last mountain range American pioneers had to cross before reaching either southeast Washington near Walla Walla or passing down the Columbia River Gorge to end of the Oregon Trail in the Willamette ValleyThe Willamette Valley is the region in northwest Oregon in the United States that surrounds the Willamette River as it proceeds northward from its emergence from mountains near Eugene to its confluence with the Columbia River. One of the most productive a near Oregon CityOregon City is the first city in the United States incorporated west of the Rockies. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 25,754. Known in recent decades as the site of several large. The range today is traversed by Interstate 84Interstate 84 is the designation of two interstate highways in the United States. The Western Interstate 84 The western Interstate 84 runs from an intersection with Interstate 5 at Portland, Oregon to an intersection with Interstate 80 at Echo, Utah—rough, which crosses the crest of the range from northwest to southeast between Pendleton and LaGrandeLa Grande is a city located in Union County, Oregon. Its name comes from the Grande Ronde Valley of Eastern Oregon. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,327. It is the county seat of Union County 6. La Grande lies east of the Blue. The community of Baker CityBaker City is a city and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon. This city was named after its county. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,860. History Although a post office was established on March 27, 1866, Baker City was not i sits along the southeastern flank of the range. U.S. Highway 26United States Highway 26 is an east-west United States highway. It started in Ogallala, Nebraska, and gradually grew to reach the West Coast in Oregon. When the U. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it crosses the southern portion of the range, reaching a summit of 5098 ft (1545 m) at Blue Mountain Pass.

Much of the range is included in either the Umatilla National Forest and Malheur National Forest . Several wilderness areas encompass remote parts of the range, including the Umatilla Wilderness Area , the North Fork John Day Wilderness Area , Strawberry Mountain Wilderness Area , Monument Rock Wilderness Area , all of which are in Oregon. The Wehana-Tucannon Wilderness Area sits astride the Oregon-Washington border.

The range is drained by several rivers, including the Grande Ronde RiverThe Grande Ronde River is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately 180 mi (290 km) long, in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington in the United States. It drains an arra on the east side of the Blue Mountains on the Columbia Plateau, flowin, a tributary of the Snake, as well as the forks of the John Day RiverThere is John Day River in Northwestern Oregon The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 281 mi (452 km) long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. One of two rivers in Oregon to bear this name, it is by the longer and, a tributary of the Columbia.