The Deschutes River headwaters couldn’t be more different from its iconic lower runs. From Lava Lake to Crane Prairie Reservoir, the Upper Deschutes is more of a creek than river.
It meanders through grass meadows and Lodge Pole pine forests. This week that stretch of river opened. Literally, the USFS unlocked roads and the stream was opened to fishing.
This seven mile stretch of stream is a favorite summer destination. There are great spots to picnic, excellent stick fetching and good fishing. Even in the hottest days of summer, there are shady spots along the river to open a camp chair and enjoy the day.
Few things are more relaxing or peaceful than a spot in the shade by a quietly tumbling stream.
We’ll be back up here often until the snow closes things down for another season.
April showers brought additional snow pack to the mountains and we found six foot banks on the highway between Bachelor and Elk Lake. Meaning, it will be a few weeks before you see wild flowers in those alpine meadows.
Tip got to do some swimming and we had a brief picnic lunch before the smoke settled back down on us. The weatherman suggests air quality might get better next week. But we have to keep in mind that August is peak wildfire season so we’re not holding out much hope. Glad we managed a few moments on the river.
The ODFW has placed restrictions on Oregon’s large rivers as water temperatures rise from the heat wave.
Tip loves this spot to wade the stream and play fetch. Once started it’s pretty hard to get his focus off the game. We’re glad to set our chairs on the shady bank and take in it’s natural AC.
December’s snow melted away between Christmas and the first part of January. We took the opportunity to do some exploring along the upper Deschutes River. It’s closed to fishing this time of year, meaning far fewer people and with only a hint of snow on the roads you can get nearly to Wickiup Reservoir via USFS roads.
