Tam-a-lau seems like a bucket list hike, at least in terms of those in Central Oregon. It's not…read moreterribly difficult but is well worth the effort nonetheless. The trail runs from near lake level in Cove Palisades State Park to the top of the 'Peninsula', as it's called. The Peninsula is that bit of land jutting north into Lake Billy Chinook between the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers (minus The Island, which is a whole 'nother experience if you are fortunate enough to get a chance to go there). Tam-a-lau Trail is about seven miles in length, which comprises 1.7 miles hiking from the trailhead parking lot and then ascending the steep canyon wall, about 3.6 miles of relatively flat hiking on top of the Peninsula, and then 1.7 down. The trailhead is two locations, really. One starts at the big parking lot just past the boat launch on the Deschutes River and has you walk a bit to the other trailhead. That one is at the Deschutes Campground and is the beginning of your ascent up the slope. Unless you're staying in the campground, I recommend the further trailhead - the half mile or so extra is a nice trail. Footing is OK throughout, although the ascent has some steep bits that you'll want to be careful with. Once you're at the top, it's a piece of cake. The top reminds me of the Oregon Badlands, except for the really nice lake views. Once you get to the top, you'll be at a junction. Left takes you to the tip of the peninsula by way of the Deschutes River side, while right takes you overland to the Crooked River side and thence to the tip. Either way, your goal is the peninsula tip. Some folks seem to think the overland section is boring but not me. If for some reason you want a shorter hike, go left and then backtrack the way you came. Tam-a-lau is about views of Lake Billy Chinook, the canyon lava walls and, if the weather is good, the distant views of the Cascades. It's also a good bit of exercise. During the summer, it will be hot. There's not a lot of shade - this isn't a ponderosa forest hike. Take plenty of water. Being in a state park, you'll either need an annual/biannual pass or pay $5 to park. Note that you can access the upper part of the Tam-a-lau (the flat part on the Peninsula) from roads to the south. You don't have to enter the state park from that way. In fact, much of the Tam-a-lau is not actually within the state park boundaries but rather on BLM land.

Very nice views from the top of trails definitely will be back used to go camping there al the time…read morewhen I was a kid now going back as a adult

Canyon Creek Meadows is a spectacular trail on the eastern slopes of Three Fingered Jack in the Mt…read moreJefferson Wilderness area. While hiking, you'll get great views of Three Fingered Jack, Mt Jefferson, Black Butte and even the Three Sisters. And that's just the volcanoes. The trailhead is accessed via a somewhat winding road coming off Hwy 14, which comes off Hwy 20, the main route through Sisters. Check your map for precise directions. Most any vehicle can get to the trailhead, although those with street suspensions will have to take it easy in places. There is a large parking area, which is good because this trail is popular. When we left on a summer weekday, there were several cars parked along the road, having not found spots in the parking area. Canyon Creek Meadows trail proper is a loop trail that has a couple of offshoots - one to the north which eventually takes you to the Pacific Crest Trail, and one that takes you further up towards Three Fingered Jack (the glacier trail, which might be a mile and half). Doing the loop trail only is about 5.6 miles. If you don't have it, I recommend loading the AllTrails app on your phone. The trail is fairly easy in terms of exertion and trail condition. You'll pass through quite a bit of fire-deforested areas (meaning: lots of sun) as well as thickly forested areas. Much of the trail follows Canyon Creek and you'll pass through the meadows, which is quite nice. Overall, there is a lot of scenery and terrain variation on the trail. Near the trailhead is Jack Lake, a small body of water that has no boat ramp or anything like that (this is wilderness, after all). I wouldn't mind putting a kayak in the lake, though. Summer can render the trail hot and dusty. If you have a dog, think about booties. Bring plenty of water. Speaking of dogs, there is a prominently posted regulation that requires leashes on all dogs to avoid disturbing the mountain sheep. From what we saw, almost no one leashes their dog, which is a shame. Highly recommended. We are lucky to have so many great trails in the Bend/Sisters area.

This is a beautiful area with a sweet 9 mile long hiking trail that goes out & loops back around…read more There is an address 2 mile long leg that leads to the base of Three Finger Jack Mtn. Incredible views all along the hike and appx half runs parallel to Canyon Creek. Jack Lake is directly off of the trailhead and has several campsites along the front. The trail provides varying views of forests, meadows,, lake & a creek. There are great views of Mt Jefferson & Three Finger Jack. I suggest driving a truck or similar vehicle to the trailhead because the gravel road is extremely rough for appx 6 miles. I'll definitely be going back to backpack & camp out near Three Finger Jack.

Lots of little side roads to get lost down. The area features many square miles of relative…read morehorizontality, interrupted by occasional sheer verticality. Place was settled by farmers in the early 20th Century - but many of them couldn't make a living there. The government bought the land and it's managed by the USFS now. Several campgrounds there - Skull Hollow is one of my favourites and a favourite for Smith Rock climbers.; Haystack Reservoir has a problem with mosquitoes. Lots of places to dry-camp. Several trails are in the Skull Hollow-Gray Butte Area, and there's one to the Rimrock Spring wetlands, right off Hiway 26. Much of the CRNG is good for cross-country hiking - junipers and grasses; not lots of dense vegetation. There's also a big chunk of the Grassland west of the Deschutes, that looks promising, but I haven't explored that yet... Along the rivers there are state and county parks sandwiched within the Grassland. The CRNG headquarters on southbound 97/26 shares a building with the Chamber of Commerce in Madras.

We took the river trail on our last visit to the park. The trek is great, meandering along the…read moreCrooked River directly below the wall of rock and climbers above. The trail itself is fairly flat, and should be pretty accessible for almost anyone. There are countless offshoots down to the water and up into the rocks. My only slight disappointment was that it's an out&back. Would be so great if there was at least one place to cross over the river to enjoy a trip back from the other side. There's plenty of parking along the drive in the park, and bathrooms at the start AND down the trail a ways. This time of year there are some gorgeous fall colors to take in along the water. Great, easy hike...and many more to take nearby.

A nice, mellow, gentle trail that takes you around a good section of Smith…read more The grade is calm enough that you'll frequently see families with strollers. I use it mainly to get to climbs. As a destination in and of itself, it's kind of a snooze.

One summer weekend, in 2018, the forecast called for west south west winds which blew the forest…read morefire smoke away from Sisters, so I decided to do a hike at Three Finger Jack. It's about a 13 to 14 mile round trip. The first three miles the dirt in several spots is very soft, like sand. For me that was the bummer part of this hike. Especially if your pack is 30 lbs, plus your body weight. Your striding along all of a sudden the soft dirt breaks your stride. :-| I was hoping to pick fresh wild berries. Unfortunately, other hikers beat me to them. I was lucky to find two berries; which I took a photo of before I picked them. This berry is part of the blueberry family (see photo). I took a break and found a great spot with a fantastic view. This area would be an awesome future camping spot. I setup my hammock and had a late lunch. A mild wind kept this area cool, and I felt so comfortable I took a short nap. When I awoke the view hadn't changed. As one of my friends would say, "it's a million dollar view!" I continued on the trail and finally came to view Three Finger Jack. I sat down looking at the details of Three Finger Jack. My objective was to view Three Finger Jack and plan another time to camp and conquer Jack. I'm hoping to find a hiking buddy to join me. Jack's a brittle kind of a guy. One false move, you'll have a quick way down. :-0 While hiking back down, I again came across the view of Black Butte. To the left, wild fire smoke was returning (see the before and after photos). As I arrive back to the trail head I saw a cool scene of a deer looking for dinner.

See that craggy, busted, pinnacle of friable rock on your right as you're driving into Bend from…read morePortland? The one just north of that nipple-looking one*? That's Three Fingered Jack. If you happen to live in Oregon and also happen to want to do some *alpine* rock climbing in Oregon, this is one of your only choices. (that nipple I describe above is your other) The rock quality on both is horrendous. If this rock were in Washington or California, no one would climb it. It breaks, it sheds, it's hard to protect. It reminds me of the Chugach up here in Alaska. At least the approach is short. Take the PCT north for about 3-4 miles. Eventually, you'll see TFJ (if you want to be seen as kewl by other peak baggers, this is how you should represent this mountain in text). You really, truly, cannot miss it. Once you see it, pick the least horrible way to hoof it up the loose dirt/gravel/scree/choss and up onto the higher parts of the peak. Eventually, you'll come to an awkward traverse. This is "The Crawl**". Some folks protect TC, some folks don't. I climbed it protected because I was new to all things alpine and someone else rigged up all the ropes for me. I didn't find it to be that bad. Would I climb it unprotected? Maybe. Should you? I don't know dude, risk management is a personal thing. Maybe you should think about it for a while. After negotiating TC, you'll reach the summit block. This pillar of petrified poo is rated at 5.0-5.2 depending on which crusty, old-timey mountaineer you ask. The climbing is easy, but it doesn't protect all that well. People usually plug some small cams. I'm very comfortable taking a fall on small cams when compared to my peer-group. I don't think the placements here are very good. Remember rule 000001 of climbing: don't fall. If you're just a hiker, I would NOT recommend YOLO-ing up this fucker in your Keens! This is easy rock climbing, but it is absolutely rock climbing. This ain't no scramble, go back to Chow if you're looking for one of those! There's usually a whole mess of tat on the summit, so you can rappel back down the small face of portable-chickenhead-hand-holds. Despite the abysmal rock quality, TFJ is still worth tagging. Once. Why? The approach is short and the views of Mt Jefferson are stunning. (FYI cool kid: if you want to sound hip when talking about Mt Jefferson, call it "Jeffy". Also: talk constantly about how the only route worth doing is Jeff Park Glacier. But *never* call it that, just shorten it to "Jeff Park") If you're feeling really freaky, you can also easily attempt TFJ in the winter. The road is plowed. The summit block? It's often coated in beautiful-but-impossible-to-protect rhyme ice. Good luck, friend. *The nipple is Mt Washington. **When I lived in Oregon, I found that TC was a good benchmark for gauging the mental toughness of prospective climbing partners. If you want to do this too, it could go like this: "Hey, you ever climb TFJ?" "Yeah bro." "So...whudja think of 'The Crawl'?" "Fawk brah, that shit was easy! I could've sprinted through it in my Crocs!" That guy could be someone you want to climb with. He could be a confident, sure-footed climber and a natural leader. Or he could just be a loose-cannon with a deathwish. Use your own judgment. Pay attention to body language.

Cool 1/2 mile interpretive trail set amid a wildlife preserve. While you can't venture further into…read morethe valley without permission, taking in the views from the rim trail or from this preserve location while getting to learn about its history is worth the visit. The trail is short, flat, and well-maintained...easy for anyone. They have interpretive signs along the route, as well as beautiful trees and wildlife. While there for only 1/2 hour or so we saw loads of birds, turkey, and a buck wander by. It's a brief stop, but easy to get to from town. They have a handful of parking spots and a porta potty. Peaceful and lovely spot...so appreciative it's there for wildlife!

Nice campground well taken care of. Clean restrooms and showers. Tons of deer walking through the…read moresites at all hours. So cool to see these majestic creatures with no fear. No reception or cell service so you really are able to disconnect and relax. Beautiful golden hour sunsets and gorgeous sunrises.

We stayed a couple nights at the Crooked River campground, which is a part of Cove Palisades State…read morePark. We had a great time. The campground was really nice and well tended. Staff and volunteers were very attentive and kept things in tip top shape. Our site was nice, which had water & electric. We went to a couple of the evening ranger programs, where I learned quite a bit. Bathroom facilities were really nice. Park was really windy, which may have just been when I was there but I suspect it's a common occurrence. There were deer that wandered through the campground, owls, and lots of other wildlife. Would stay here again if we were in the area.

Where there are horses, there are flies. Otherwise not a bad place. It's not used a lot. There's…read morefive camping units, give or take, and sometimes water for the horses. None for the humans unless you are not picky. There is one outhouse. The campground is located along a long designated equestrian loop trail running through the Crooked River National Grassland. Cyrus Horse Camp is open all year-round, or at least, when the snow doesn't block access.