Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Statues of Qin Hui and Lady Wang.
Qin Hui Statue at Yue Fei Temple
The Salt Canyon.
Salt Canyon
Rembrandt’s Christ on the Cross
Rembrandt’s Christ on the Cross
The cave is in a hillside not far from Algeria’s National Library.
The Cave of Cervantes
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
about 4 hours ago
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
1 day ago
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
2 days ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Oregon Hermiston Umatilla Chemical Depot

Umatilla Chemical Depot

A stunning landscape of bunkers that once stored chemical weapons.

Hermiston, Oregon

Added By
jamesb
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Bunkers looking North (I-84 view)  
Bunkers looking North (I-84 view)  
Bunkers looking west (I-82 view)  
Umatilla Chemical Depot (ariel view)  
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Heading west to Portland, Oregon via automobile, you stand a good chance of passing by some very unusual and imposing terrain.

As you're cruising on I-82 towards the junction with I-84 you'll notice that you're passing many large earth covered bunkers to the north. The dirt camouflages the bunkers, so you wonder how many have passed before you noticed them. They keep ticking by as you clock about five miles east-west.  If you choose to go north on i-84, the interchange is elevated, and you can see the bunkers stretching far to the north, also about five miles.

The view is not something that you can capture in a photograph. You have to experience it for yourself.

The Umatilla Chemical Depot bunkers were used as storage for WWII and Cold War era conventional ammunition of all types, as well chemical weapons such as containing GB and VX nerve agents and HD blister agent . Though the site is incredibly vast, it contained only some 12% of the US stockpile of such weapons.

By 2011 the entire stockpile was completely incinerated, and as of 2018 the entire depot itself was shutting down.

Due to its isolation and freedom from development the site has become home to rare species of birds like the burrowing owl as well as rare plant life and herds of antelope. The state of Oregon plans to use part of the base for a training facility, while the rest may becomes industrial land and a wildlife refuge.

Related Tags

Bunkers Intriguing Environs Architectural Oddities Architecture Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

The site is best viewed while traveling west on I-84, with the site on your right, or traveling south on I-84, with the site on the right.

The site also can be viewed on its west and northern boundaries via multiple dirt roads and tracks, but be advised that this land is privately owned farmland and may be marked regarding trespassing.

Community Contributors

Added By

jamesb

Edited By

rugby007, Collector of Experiences

  • rugby007
  • Collector of Experiences

Published

July 17, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.cma.army.mil/umatilla.aspx
  • http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/umatilla.htm
  • http://news.opb.org/article/5247-community-prepares-umatilla-chemical-depots-new-future/
  • http://www.opcw.org
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umatilla_Chemical_Depot
  • https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/umatilla_army_depot/
  • https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2019/03/11/umatilla-chemical-weapons-depot-whats-next-for-the-20-000-acre-military-installation/3124084002/
Umatilla Chemical Depot
I-82 Junction with I-84
Hermiston, Oregon, 97838
United States
45.808222, -119.400101
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Twin Sisters

Touchet, Washington

miles away

The Cozy Rooms

Pendleton, Oregon

miles away

B Reactor

Richland, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 31

Nearby Places

Twin Sisters

Touchet, Washington

miles away

The Cozy Rooms

Pendleton, Oregon

miles away

B Reactor

Richland, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 31

Related Places

  • Casa de Fusta.

    Amposta, Spain

    Casa de Fusta

    This Canadian hunting lodge is a long way from home.

  • Water tower and other building in Fordlandia, Brazil.

    Aveiro, Brazil

    Fordlândia

    Henry Ford's failed rubber plantation in the middle of the Amazon rain forest.

  • Lucky visitors to the Supreme Court play basketball.

    Washington, D.C.

    The Highest Court In the Land

    There just so happens to be a court even higher than the U.S Supreme Court: a basketball court in the building itself.

  • Ithaa

    Rangalifinolhu, Maldives

    Ithaa Undersea Restaurant

    An underwater restaurant, surrounded by a coral reef.

  • Casa Grande Ruins

    Coolidge, Arizona

    Casa Grande Ruins

    Some of the tallest ancient American ruins continue to inspire awe and curiosity.

  • European architechture mixes with traditional Chinese iconography throughout the area.

    Shanghai, China

    Shanghai French Concession

    An out-of-place slice of France, smack in the middle of Shanghai.

  • View of Shanghai and the Oriental Pearl Tower

    Shanghai, China

    Oriental Pearl Tower

    The once highest point in China blends symbolic design with a kick of adrenaline.

  • Crestline, California

    Mozumdar Temple

    This temple, built by an eccentric religious leader before his death, sits guarded and in ruins.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.