Cottonwood Canyon: Marvelous and Muddy

We pulled into the Lone Tree campground in Cottonwood Canyon State Park near Wasco, OR around 11:30am on Monday, 6/14. We wanted to arrive early enough to snag a space since all sites are first come/first served. We’re glad we did. We got a lovely spot on the river side and by early evening the campground was almost full.

 

Five stars for Cottonwood Canyon!

Vintage farm equipment is scattered around the park.

This is our first stay at Cottonwood Canyon, but I sure hope it won’t be our last. The park and campground are stunning! Originally a ranch, many of the buildings have been refurbished and repurposed. The grounds are irrigated, so it’s a green oasis in a desert landscape. Of course, Riley is a huge fan of the sprinklers too, although his interest is strictly for the entertainment value. The only downside, there is absolutely no cell service. However, there were several solar powered charging stations with USB charging ports, how’s that for the height of irony? Lol.

 

The barn and several other old ranch buildings are still in use.

Love the old Aermotor windmill - I want one! Lol.

Another perk - a HUGE off-leash dog area.

Riley gives the sprinklers a solid workout. 

The weather during our stay was all over the board. Warm and sunny, then a precipitous drop in temps accompanied by high winds, rain, and a little thunderstorm action. On our arrival day we enjoyed the sun, hustled inside for the rain, and then were able to take a lovely evening walk. It seemed more typical for the western side of the mountains, if you don’t like the weather wait 10 minutes. Lol.

 

Sunshine when we arrived!

Cloudy and overcast by evening.

John Day River in the evening light. 

On Tuesday we pulled out the bikes to ride the 9-mile roundtrip Pinnacles Trail along the John Day River.  Not far into our ride it started to sprinkle. Hmmmmm. Keep going or turn back? We pulled off in the shelter of some trees to debate. Showers in the desert are usually short-lived. It should pass soon… at least those were the lies we told ourselves. We kept going. So did the rain. Pretty soon I had so much mud stuck to my front tire and calipers I could barely pedal. I have to say it was kind of fun, all part of the adventure. It turned out the trail was closed part way to afford nesting golden eagles some privacy. So we turned around and slogged our way back through the mud, clocking around 7½ miles altogether. I think it took us almost as long to hose the mud off our bikes (and ourselves!) as it did to ride the trail. There’s another trail on the other side of the river but we agreed to wait for dryer weather to do that one.

Debating under the trees.... ah, I think we made the wrong call. Lol. 

The passing shower didn't. It rained the whole ride.

Wednesday morning was clear and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. By 9:30 we were ready to roll. The Lost Corral Trail is also about 9 miles long but the trailhead is on the other side of the river a mile and half down the road from the campground. We rode out and dutifully followed a sign directing bicyclists off the road and to a “trail” which turned out to be about 6 inches wide, rocky and completely overgrown in places. Ridiculous. Cue extremely colorful language here. I promise you on the way back I stayed on the road and had a very impolite hand gesture for the sign. After that little detour, we made it to the trailhead without further drama.

The trail itself was a lot like Pinnacles, but without the rain and mud. It did seem like there was a lot more up and down and I took the bike for a stroll on several of the steeper uphills. Rog kept reminding me that I had more lower gears to use, but what he failed to realize was I didn’t have any more gears left. Lol.  It was, however, a beautiful day and a lovely ride (or walk, depending on the hill). Lots of birds and much of the trail was along the river where we saw a couple of huge steelhead.

 

We enjoy a break along the trail.

One cliff wall was covered in swallow's nests.

Hmmmm...Which one is the namesake Lost Corral?

The rest of the day we hung out at camp, made several forays to the river so Riley could cool off, and enjoyed the perfect weather. Our next stop is Clyde Holliday campground near the town of John Day, OR. It’s another first come/first served campground so we’re planning on an early start again. Fingers crossed! 

Multiple places to access the river right behind our campsite.

Riley takes advantage of the river access
to cool off (about 5 times a day!).