Calendar

Past Activity

Tumalo & Cottonwood Canyon

  • Start date: 04/29/2022

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 05/02/2022

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

Friday: April 29, 2022
Drive to Tumalo State Park four miles north of Bend, arriving by 12pm where we will meet in the day-use area parking lot. We will hike 1.5 miles south along the Deschutes River Trail to the Riley Ranch Nature Reserve where there is an additional 1.5 miles of trails. In the late afternoon, we return to the park and stay in Group Camp B near the Deschutes River (check in is at 4pm). The evening is open for hanging out, or to go on a 2 mile hike north along the river. There are Flush toilets and hot showers in the park. Plan on 5 miles of hiking.

Saturday: April 30, 2022
In the morning, depart by 9am and drive 2.5 hours to Cottonwood Canyon State Park on the John Day River, making a brief stop at the Redmond Caves (lave tubes) and later the ghost-ish town of Shaniko. We should arrive at about 1pm at the park, no later that 2pm. We will have time to explore, the 3-mile round trip Hard Stone Tail might be a good option for a hike. At 4pm we can check into the End of the Road Group Camp. There is a new moon tonight, so star gazing should be great! Plan on up to 5 miles of hiking. Cottonwood Canyon is remote, rugged, and deliberately undeveloped, there is no cellphone service. Potable water is available in the camping area, but you will have a walk of about 15 minutes to fill up. We will have access to a vault toilet in the group camp, though flush restrooms and shower facilities are available in the cabin area.

Sunday: May 1, 2022
Hike the Pinnacles trail, a round trip of 9.5 to 10 miles along the John Day River, maybe more if we go off trail a bit. We return to the Group Camp for our final night. If conditions allow, we go on a night hike down by the river. More stargazing.

Monday: May 2, 2022
in the morning, depart on your schedule. If we caravan back to Eugene, possibly stop in Sisters for coffee and Clear Lake for a short hike.

Pay the trip leader $30 upon arrival; this covers 3 nights of camping fees, and wood for a fire (if allowed at that time). Bring your Oregon State Park Pass. Bring your tent and all camping items. Bring all your meals and be prepared for the weather. Average highs for that time are 70 degrees and lows in the upper 30s. The trip leader is fully vaccinated and boosted.

  • Event Leader: Hougardy Mark

  • Assistant Leader:

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type: Mountain

  • Departure Location: See Trip Description

  • Rating: Moderate

  • Roundtrip total drive miles:

  • Season: 2022

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Bring your Oregon State Park Pass. Bring your tent and all camping items. Bring all your meals and be prepared for the weather. Average highs for that time are 70 degrees and lows in the upper 30s.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 20

  • Member Fees: 2

  • Elevation Gain: 1000

  • Non-Member Fees: 10

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

Just getting to our assembly area was an adventure with snow and cold temperatures crossing the Cascades. Arriving at Oregon’s Tumalo State Park the temperatures were mild if a bit cool. The group hiked 6-miles along the picturesque Deschutes River and then enjoyed an evening around the campfire. On the morning of day 2, we made a stop at the Ogden Wayside to see and walk the impressive 500-foot canyon made by the Crooked River. The weather included dramatic downpours mixed by sun and calm. We drove to the historic town of Shaniko and were welcomed inside the historic Shaniko Hotel (1900) which is undergoing renovations for opening later in the year. The town is a page out of the late 1800s and early 1900s and the hotel has a number of ghost stories. Continuing to Cottonwood Canyon State Park we drove past a number of wind turbines, cows, and open rangeland. Arriving at the park we made camp and enjoyed a 4-mile hike. It was windy that afternoon and well into the night. On day 3, we hiked 7-miles in the morning along the John Day on the Pinnacles Trail. We had to turn around due to a trail closure because Golden Eagles were nesting. Bighorn sheep peered down at us from high above the basalt cliffs. After returning to camp and enjoying some lunch several of the party hiked another 4 miles, with some making an additional 7. We enjoyed a quiet and windless evening around a warm campfire. We went to bed as the stars were coming out. Later that night the stars were amazing, though rain clouds were rolling in. The morning of day 4 was an early departure for the group with some opting to enjoy a warm breakfast in Condon. We observed merganser, deer, mallard ducks, turkey vultures, Canadian geese, California bighorn sheep, swallow, crows, hawks, an unidentified lizard, and several snakes along the trail. There were tracks and signs of bobcats, coyotes, more bighorn sheep, and possibly pronghorn. We heard soft hoots with a stuttering rhythm: hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo from a Great Horned Owl, and the chucks of what was believed to be Chukar partridges.

Members & Guests signed-up & waitlisted

  • Number of spots on trip: 9
  • Number of spots available: 0
No. Status Full name Phone Transportation Needed? Trip Fee # Can Take?
1 Signed-Up Hougardy, Mark 541-206-9532 N 2
2 Signed-Up Hougardy, Christiane 541-914-4556 N 2
3 Signed-Up Bryan, Keiko 541-342-1240 N 2
4 Signed-Up Skarda, Joan 541-590-0205 N 2
5 Signed-Up Skarda, John 541-902-1450 N 2
6 Signed-Up van Winkle, Dorothy 541-485-7416 N 2
7 Signed-Up Ruzicka, Angie 541-521-6840 N 2
8 Signed-Up Sojak, Darko 541-799-9199 N 2
9 Signed-Up Masin, Rachelle 541-547-4742 N 2
10 Signed-Up Whitfield, Nancy 541-520-0450 N 2
11 Signed-Up Alexander, Joanna 458-209-7798 N 2
12 Signed-Up Carpenter, Kathie 541-505-2370 N 2
13 Signed-Up Grant, Elizabeth 541-514-1176 N 2
14 Signed-Up Krentz, Holger 541-868-7792 N 2
15 Signed-Up Gomez, Consuelo 713-366-1199 N 10
16 Signed-Up Orsi, Barbara 541-515-9665 N 2
17 Signed-Up Glaser, Abigail 630-802-5644 N 10
18 Signed-Up Rice, Cindy 541-513-0131 N 2
19 Signed-Up Cosby, Barbara Kay 458-210-7604 N 2