Two Joaquin Miler trails diverged in the woods. I chose the one less taken. That made all the…read moredifference. The name Joaquin Miller, a one-time pony express rider, gold miner, judge, teacher, ex-lawyer, and critically praised poet of the American West, is closely connected to Oakland, California, where MIller lived for many years. As is the case with Jack London's former ranch near Glen Ellen, part of Miller's tree-filled estate ended up being preserved as a park. It grew over time to 500 acres of open space and trails, making it a popular destination for local residents and visitors, for whom the park is a welcome breath of fresh air: http://www.yelp.com/biz/joaquin-miller-park-oakland. It's an inspiring story of how local activists and boosters worked (and still work) to protect the land from private development. The result is a beautiful public space mere miles from one of America's most densely populated and culturally vibrant urban areas. While it certainly has lots of trees in common, the Joaquin Miller trail in Eastern Oregon is a different kind of outdoor experience entirely. It's located in the rugged and (arguably) remote Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, about a 45 minute drive from Canyon City, where Miller worked as a lawyer and judge during the Oregon gold rush of the 1860s. Over the course of about 6 miles, the trail leads from a modest dirt and gravel parking area into a valley filled with rare old-growth Ponderosa pines. It then meanders, steeply at times, to the jagged crest of Strawberry Ridge, past cascading mountain streams, and offers hikers and equestrians spacious views of snow-covered peaks, rocky ridgelines, and dense forests. That's about it. This is not a Yosemite kind of place, filled with glamorous granite cliffs and photogenic falling water. It's quiet as hell, though, and extremely beautiful in a simple, unadorned, and unaffected way. Old growth ponderosas don't wow you like a coastal redwood, red cedar, or douglas fir, and Strawberry Ridge is barren, windswept, and patched with snow well into May and June. But there's something startling about the place that is hard to put into words or capture with digital pixels. It's never easy to put a price on solitude. One shouldn't even try. The reason wilderness areas like Strawberry Mountain exist is to make sure that people don't start calculating its potential real estate value in dollar-denominated terms. So what was it worth, then, to me? Well ... for four long and sometimes arduous hours, I wandered in the footsteps of Joaquim Miller's namesake trail, past orange-covered trees and snowmelting streams, up stone-covered mountain switchbacks and through dense stands of trees. I was completely alone in a vast open space with only my thoughts and backpack to keep me company. Sun and clouds kept the temperature mild, even above 7000 ft on the snow-covered ridgeline. At the top, someone had hung a pair of binoculars and a half-empty bottle of whiskey from a low tree branch that was protected from the elements. A nice thought, but I wasn't in the mood for that sort of a drink. Look, you don't just stumble upon a trail like this. You seek it out, like I did, because of an inarticulate but insistent inner need. A Forest Service map and compass sure help, but otherwise the trail is quite clear if unsigned most of the way. There's just not much foot or hoof traffic out here except maybe in peak summer months. It's very well maintained with minimal treefall that is cleared away in late spring. You feel "lost" without actually being lost. That's not always easy to pull off. A single winding path in an ocean of pine, stone, and snow. Just you and lots of wilderness close enough to make it a short day trip.That's what this particular excursion is all about. Nothing more than that. But somehow, for me at least, that was enough. Enough to make all the difference in the world. You don't need to be a famous poet like Joaquin Miller to figure that out. So just do it. Show up and see for yourself. The trail will do the work for you.

Great Forest, low visitor numbers. Perfect wilderness area to explore and see environment less…read moretarnished by colonization

Great campsites with clean restrooms. 10$ for a tent site with a great picnic table and fire pit.read more

Great park, lots of fun play equipment, clean, turf under the play equipment and grass under the…read moretrees... lots of benches and seating both in sun and shade

Lovely, peaceful little park nestled in Baker City, just off highway 84. Clean and safe, it's a…read morefantastic place to stop on a long haul and stretch your legs. We stopped on one such long haul to grab a pick-me-up (there's a Starbucks and more than half a dozen restaurants within three blocks of the park), gas for the car, and a walk for our felines. Ample free parking around the border of the park, and make sure to check out the water feature bordering the western edge!

Its a real treat to be able to camp in a pristine state park that has only been open a month! We…read morestopped here for a few nights of camping on a longer roadtrip. It feels INCREDIBLY isolated. Out of cell service and quite far from any kind of services. The campground itself is quite small and open - but with big grassy pads for tenting and great star gazing. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. There was no camp host but we were able to buy a bundle of firewood. Pit toilets in the bathrooms and a day use area with a power outlet where we charged our phones. The site has some interesting history, previously being the site of a sawmill. There are some placards around about this. We spent a bit of time exploring the trails - well maintained and pretty sufficient for a family with small kids. My kids also enjoyed seeing the pond and dam.

We drove out to the Painted Hills for a day trip and had a great couple hours exploring the area…read more We walked most of the trails and it's such a unique place to see - well worth the 1+ hour drive from civilization. It even rained just a bit while we were there and a rainbow came out - wow! High recommend.

The Painted Hills Unit of the John Day National Monument was indeed a very scenic and beautiful…read moresight seeing stop as we were in the Bend, Oregon area. After seeing Yelp entries I am kind of kicking myself for not proceeding to the Painted Cove area as the walk through there looks amazing. We just stopped at the main Painted Hills and did not proceed further. But what we saw was beautiful. With the three primary colors of yellow, red and black you can see the layers of these colors in the Hills. The texture of the Hills are amazing too. And I suppose depending on the angle of the sun enhances these textures as far as appearance goes. You can see little trails all through these Hills and at first I thought they were hiking trails for people but they are indeed wildlife trails and people are to not go on them. There are signs all over that go into the history here and it is both fascinating and beautiful. We were here mid-morning but I am told the colors really get enhanced at sunrise or sunset.

So worth the hour us drive from Redmond! I highly recommend experiencing the beauty of the area!read more

Great views, but would only recommend it if you're in the area, not as a destination. Takes a…read morecouple of hours max to view.

Take a moment, breath it in. SEE it. Experience history…read more Spit in the water and watch all the little river fish come try and eat it. Love Sumpter!

We love industrial historical sites and this did not disappoint. Lots of history to marvel at and…read moreexplore. Never heard of gold dredges so fascinating plus enjoyed going back in time in local town. Very picturesque location.

I've stopped here a few times over the decades. Handy access right off the highway. Usually not a…read morelot of people here especially on a weekday. Some good photography opportunities and a lot of historical artifacts. There is an interesting information center and historical display up on the hill on the other side of the highway. Worth a stop if you've never been there before. There are hiking trails that go off a ways that I have never gone on but the mile or so round trip from the historic house is interesting enough. They do have staff there and offer tours of the grounds although I have never taken advantage of them.

The Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds was a fabulous day trip! We were with a toddler and…read morea baby (in a BOB stroller), so we did all of the hikes except the longer two in the Blue Basin area. We started off in the Foree area and worked our way south. Also, the hikes got continuously more disappointing in this direction. I do not recommend the River Trail, as there is no view of the river (not maintained?), and I also did not enjoy the Thomas Condon Overlook Trail as it had almost the same view as the Sheep Rock Overlook Trail. I definitely recommend picking up a passport to the National Parks as well as getting your cancellation stamp for all 3 John Day Fossil Bed Units at the Visitor center. Though it isn't marked on the map, there are a couple of picnic tables at the visitor center as well. The Cant house was OK, but don't be too sad if you miss it due to the limited hours. Only the downstairs is open for viewing, and there are only three small rooms of exhibits. I loved the Flood of Fire and Story in Stone hikes!

Friendly camp host. Nice access to the creek. Reasonably priced help your self firewood. Clean…read morecampground. Bathrooms were clean. No showers. Worth $10 a night. Nice walking trail to day use area.

Absolutely one of our best experiences. My daughter was beyond excited expecially with so much…read moreauthenticity in the clothing. She wasn't expecting a full shoot out (nearther were we). Everything was so great, so memorable, My daughter dressed up and fit right in, all the volunteers (yes, everyone who took part is a volunteer) wer so kind expecially to the kids in the crowd. We can't believe we learned so much and in such a fun way too. Few helpful tips, we went middle of June and there were soooooo many mosquitoes idk if I just want thinking, or they just tend to eat me alive in the evenings only but bring lots of bug spray. There's 2 cars that have windows and 2 that don't so if it's a full ride be prepared dress appropriately depending on the time of year u visit. Like I mentioned earlier these are all volunteers, they make their clothing and provide their own weapons and blanks. The upkeep of the train and tracks is very costly so donations are very appropriate. Be sure to bring plenty of smaller bills and most of the town would prefer cash purchases as well. There's also a flea market held here so check for that. There's also mining for Gold lessons and some areas to try it first hand. If you find real Gold flakes you can keep up to 3 for 5$ per person because it's coming from an Oregon State Park. There is a lift on the train to help with any handicap needs, and on that note if you end up in Bakers City, OR (were we drove through to get here) is an amazing playground where inclusion of all ability types was number 1 in design. This entire experience was so great, worth Every penny for the steam engine ticket and worth the money we donated at the end.

Outstanding volunteers and a terrific experience these folks really know how to present living…read morehistory of Sumpter Valley Railroad.