June 11 – 25, 2023
Deschutes River Fly Shop and Camp
7228 U.S. 26
Madras, OR 97741
It was a short drive from Redmond to our new location. This park is a bit more rustic. And we are in the valley. Where are the 3 Sisters?
Pelton Park and Lake Simtustus Resort
We often check out the “immediate neighborhood” the day we arrive, just to get a feel for the area. Today was no exception.
Pelton Park is worth coming back to! We could not complete the loop trail for lack of time. It would be nice sitting by the water, grabbing a bite to eat or a drink. We could also rent a kayak, a paddle board, or a boat?
The resort at Lake Simtustus was worth visiting, but we will probably never stay there. It’s a bit too remote for JJ.
Bike Path
Madras prides itself in beeing bike-friendly. Doesn’t every Oregon town? There is a bikeway around town and a trail over to Lake Simtustus along the Willow Creek, appropriately named the “Willow Creek Trail”. Willow Creek Trail is what we wanted to check out. On foot at first. We drove the street running parallel to the trail at the West end of town, but there was no place to park! So we circled around in search for parking. Further North another trail that leads to Willow Creek. Street parking there, but what a neighborhood! Mobile homes with trash around, old cars with flat tires. I spotted homeless camps in the distance, right on the path connecting to Willow Creek. Not in the mood to park and walk here today. The South end of the connector looked more promising. There was a small parking lot at a new skating park. From there we walked, for almost 2 hours, up the hill to the mountain identifier, down to the canyon, along the road with no parking, and into the canyon, now on dirt. Once you are in the canyon, the trail is narrow but “railroad grade”. Was there really a railroad here at some point? We could not find any evidence of that, other than a few wooden railway sleepers put up vertically as gateposts or something. If there ever was a railroad here, they cleaned up pretty well. There is an active railraod, though, going by Madras and crossing the willow creek on a trestle bridge that is quite impressive.
Being in the Willow Creek Canyon almost felt a little creepy. The trail is narrow. It’s eerily quiet, yet so close to town. We turned around soon. Maybe we’ll be back another day and this time with the bikes. Maybe from the other end?
More research on the Willow Creek Canyon Railroad
It existed indeed! The Oregon Historical Society has photos from that era on their website.
Lake Billy Chinook
Driving down to Pelton Dam and Park again. Down to Lake Simtustus Resort and beyond. Round Butte Overlook Park was closed. They only open from Thursday to Sunday!? Crooked River Campground is nice. Well maintained, paved sites, lots of open areas and grass. I can imagine spending a few nights here. More of a campground and less of an RV park. No sewer hookups, but a dump station.
Cove Palisades Resort was gated off, despite there being a State Park. Were we just too late in the day? Crooked River Day Use Area and Boat Ramp look very good and clean. Has a swimming area as well.
Driving over SW Jordan Bridge was an experience. Did they put a layer of asphalt over wooden planks? JJ started getting tired. No videos and very few photos from that trip.
Deschutes River Campground is right on the peninsula that separates the Deschutes from the Crooked River. Less even than the Crooked River Campground and perhaps a bit more crowded (denser), but very nice nevertheless. They have full hookups in addition to tent sites. Park Ranger was very helpful. Definitely worth considering when staying in the area again.
We made it all the way to the parking lot of the Lower Deschutes Day Use Area on the peninsula. There is the Tam-a-lau Trail that goes all the way up to the rim and around. We only walked it for a few minutes before JJ almost fell asleep. She did not feel well at all, so we turned around. She barely made it back to the truck and fell asleep on the way home. She is fine.
The trail? We’ll add it to our list of “yet to be completed” trails. We have a good collection by now!
