11 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain •
This hike was recommended to me by local author of hiking guides, Matt Reeder, as being one of his favorite winter hikes. There was no lack of sunshine on the day I was there, and no lack of cows as the area is BLM land and an open range.
Lily (my dog) and my pal Brooklyn joined for an all girls day on the trail. Not a soul out there, which was a refreshing change from Portland area hikes. We did occasionally have to dodge cows who I felt were giving us the stink eye.
This area could be entirely hiked off trail with care taken to watching for rattlesnakes and ticks, but we opted to stay on the jeep path. The path was ruddy with hoof prints from a recent rain, but had dried which was somewhat challenging on our ankles with the unevenness of the ground.
The path is pretty clear, follow the jeep path until you run into a second path that goes through a gate and all the way on down to the Deschutes river. (Which would make for a very long day, we stopped at the viewpoint where the trail really started to go down.)
We were a little early for wildflowers, but I think I would like to come back when the flowers are in full swing. This hike had views of Hood, and the Sisters, and plenty of space for further exploration. Next time, with more energy, I will go a little further.
For photos click on my GPS track below.
