Our first hike of 2021 was at the Whychus Canyon Preserve, a place we had never been before.  Located at the end of Goodrich Road off Cloverdale Road outside of Sisters, the preserve provides for 3 different hikes of varying difficulty and view. We took the Long Canyon Route which follows the canyon rim before dropping 300 feet in elevation into the canyon and follows the creek for 2.3 miles before climbing back to the rim. The walk on the rim travels through meadows and has a  North Sister view overlook before heading back to the trailhead. All in all, the loop is roughly 5 miles and depending on the time of year, can offer wildflowers and mountain views. The other hikes in the Whychus Canyon Preserve include the Mid Canyon Route, shorter with only 3 miles, and the Wagon Road and Meadow Loop (2.5 miles).  The Wagon Road follows a portion of the historic Santiam Wagon Road and includes interpretive signs which discuss the Santiam toll road which was the way early settlers in Oregon traveled back and forth from the Willamette Valley to Central Oregon in the 1860s. 

If you plan on hiking in the Whychus Canyon Preserve, come early as there is limited parking; off road parking is not permitted and dogs must be kept on leash.

With snow falling in the Cascades, it is becoming harder to find places to take a long hike in Central Oregon without snow shoes or cross country skies. Last Saturday we decided to re-hike the 1.4 mile, 500 foot elevation gain Bessie Butte trail located off China Hat and then take the Swamp Wells Trail through the Deschutes National Forest to Kelsey Butte, located roughly 5 miles south of Bessie Butte. The trail, lightly covered with snow, was easy to follow and our research on the hike showed it to be one for mountain bikers as well as hikers.  The Swamp Wells Trail, if followed its entire length, eventually will end at Newberry Crater after 20 plus miles with a lot of elevation gain in that final push.  During our hike through the woods we saw only one other person, a woman with her dog, but did follow one set of mountain bike tracks for much of the way.

If you enjoy walking in the forest, this is a great place to go. It wasn't until we were half way up Kelsey Butte that we came out of the trees and could view the forest we had walked through along with views of all the buttes around us plus vistas of the Cascades. It was a cloudy day, but I am sure on a clear day there would be views all the way to Mt. Hood. After walking around the base of Kelsey Butte, we returned to our car left at the Bessie Butte Trailhead. All in all, with the quick up and back on Bessie Butte, we estimated our hike was between 11 and 12 miles. Although not having the "wow" views we love so much when we hike in the mountains, this walk through the Deschutes National Forest was very fulfilling and gave us some great exercise after our Christmas meal. And for those who enjoy solitude, you can't beat the lack of crowds.

Chush Falls is a Stunning Central Oregon Waterfall

We have heard about Chush Falls, located off the Three Creeks Lake road outside of Sisters, Oregon, for many years, but had never hiked it until last Saturday. Since it was the middle of December, but snowfall had been somewhat light, we believed we would be fine hiking in the 2 plus miles into the waterfall. We got a late start so that it would be warmer, but experienced a lot of ice on the trail the first mile. Although we had trekking poles, ice spikes for our shoes would have been very helpful and that first mile was walked fairly slowly. 

The first portion of the hike is through the burned trees of the 2017 Milli fire. But despite the burned trees, there has been a lot of regrowth with manzanita and young trees and the views of North and Middle Sister were beautiful. However, one issue which we found throughout the trail was the multiple fallen trees which had to be navigated in order to continue with the hike.

After crossing a couple of small creeks, getting lost due to a large fallen tree blocking the path, we climbed roughly 800 feet in elevation until we reached the overlook for Chush Falls. Trees blocked most of the view from the overlook, so we climbed down the steep hillside, dodging tree limbs and walking around boulders to reach Whychus Creek and walked up the stream until we reached the base of Chush Falls. It was truly a winter wonderland with ice and snow creating a stunning sight. 

Lake Billy Chinook Area Offers Interesting Things to See

Many Central Oregonians will spend time during the summer at Lake Billy Chinook enjoying the houseboats and recreational opportunities available at The Cove Palisades State Park. However, hiking during the summer can be very uncomfortable with high temperatures in the area the norm. But in mid December, the cool temperatures can make for a nice hiking experience when a lot of exertion is needed.

Balancing Rocks is a Geological Formation to View Overlooking the Metolius Arm of Lake Billy Chinook

Not really a hike (1/2 a mile round trip), the Balancing Rocks (called hoodoos) can be located by driving all the way through the park past the airport toward the Perry South Campground. When forest service road 64 turns into a dirt road, travel just a short distance until you find the parking lot for the short walk to Balancing Rocks. The rocks were formed when a layer of harder volcanic rock flowed over a softer layer of volcanic rock.  Over many thousands of years, the underlying softer rock has eroded at a faster rate than the overlying harder rock, thus forming the balancing rocks we see today. This is worth the extra drive to see such an unusual geological formation.

Tam-a-lau Trailhead is at the Day Use Area of the Cove Palisades State Park 

The trail to the top of the plateau between the Deschutes and Crooked River arms of Lake Billy Chinook has a very steep 800 foot elevation gain the first mile. Wooden stairs are built into some tough sections, but we found other areas to be slippery and later muddy as the frozen ground melted once the temperature rose above freezing later in the day. After reaching the top of the plateau, the level 4.5 mile loop around the hilltop provides for wonderful views of the lake and we were fortunate to see a soaring red-tailed hawk during this trek.  In certain sections, the trail goes very close to the edge of the plateau and we recommend staying a safe distance from the edge as the drop is very steep and dangerous in some areas.

We have read that the Tam-a-lau trail can be very hot and uncomfortable during the summer and is best done either very early or late in the day when the temperatures are cooler. For our hike mid December, layers were best with us getting quite warm in the first mile, but cooling off a lot during the loop hike at the top of the plateau. We saw just a few people during the entire hike.

Beyond Painted Hills is Blue Basin

Most tourists to Central Oregon will travel to see the Painted Hills, one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.  But the Painted Hills is just one of three locations of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Located past Mitchell, closer to Dayville, the Blue Basin Overlook Trail is worth the hike and the panoramic views of colorful Blue Canyon worth seeing.  The loop around the canyon is only 3.25 miles, but climbs 900 feet in elevation.  The second hike in the area is an in and back 1.3 miles up the canyon itself with several stops along the Island in Time Trail with descriptions of fossils and wildlife that used to inhabit the area millions of years ago. The Thomas Condon Paleontology and Visitor Center is located just a few miles from Blue Basin and is another must for tourists.

If you plan on traveling to Blue Basin from Bend, be sure to have a full tank of gas before you leave town as there are limited services in this part of Central Oregon. The drive is roughly 40 miles from the Painted Hills and about 120 miles from Bend. In summer the hike will be hot with very little shade.  We did this hike in November and it was cool with few people.