Central Oregon boasts many areas that allow for year-round hiking

Published 4:00 am Friday, December 4, 2020

Many outdoors enthusiasts are turning their attention to skiing, snowboarding and other snow sports fun, as the Central Oregon Cascades boast a sizeable early season snowpack.

But even when the snow piles up, hiking season in Central Oregon never really ends.

Several areas that offer drier, often snow-free conditions on the High Desert make for ideal offseason locales throughout the winter.

Here are a few options for year-round hikers:

Lake Billy Chinook

The 7-mile Tam-a-láu Trail loop hike features a mile-long climb to the top of a lava plateau called the Peninsula, which separates the Deschutes River and Crooked River arms of Lake Billy Chinook. Hikers are treated to bird’s-eye views of the reservoir and the dramatic cliffs and plateaus that line the water.

About an hour’s drive north of Bend, Lake Billy Chinook is mostly known as a year-round fishing destination and a buzzing watersports spot in the summer.

While many other hiking trails in Central Oregon are still covered in snow, the Tam-a-láu Trail offers a dry alternative in late fall and winter.

The hike starts at the Cove Palisades State Park Upper Deschutes Trailhead. According to an informational kiosk at the trailhead, Tam-a-láu is a Native American phrase meaning “place of big rocks on the ground.” Indeed, large, smooth boulders line the trail at the start of the trek.

The smooth river rock and sediment was deposited by the Deschutes River long ago, according to the trailhead signs.

The trail — restricted to hikers only — climbs about 600 feet in the first mile along several switchbacks to the top of the plateau.

After just 200 feet of climbing, the Deschutes arm of Lake Billy Chinook and snow-covered Mount Jefferson pop into view. The 5-mile loop follows the plateau around the edge of the cliff and the trail is lined by sagebrush, rabbitbrush and juniper trees.

According to the trailhead kiosk, the rimrock basalt near the tops of the canyon rims was formed when lava erupted from the Cascades and the land around the area was gradually uplifted. The uplift caused the three rivers that form Lake Billy Chinook — the Crooked, Deschutes and Metolius — to flow faster and erode deep channels that formed the canyons.

Badlands

Areas east of Bend hold many treasures for hikers seeking wintertime destinations.

One such spot is the Badlands, a 30,000-acre wilderness named for its harsh desert landscape. Because it is dotted with twisted old juniper trees and intricate rock formations in stark contrast to the spectacular mountain scenery found elsewhere in Central Oregon, the Badlands is not on the top of every hiker’s list.

But the true gift of the Badlands lies not in the scenery or the terrain, but in the opportunity it offers to lose yourself in the quiet serenity of the High Desert.

About 16 miles east of Bend off U.S. Highway 20 is the Flatiron Rock Trailhead, one of the most popular in the Badlands because of its accessibility and because of its intriguing rock formations.

Most of the wilderness consists of the rugged Badlands volcano, which, according to the Bureau of Land Management, left behind thick basaltic lava flows.

Centuries of windblown volcanic ash and eroded lava formed the sand that covers the flat areas of the lava fields. Some of the juniper trees in the Badlands are more than 1,000 years old, according to the Oregon Natural Desert Association.

The Oregon Badlands Wilderness Act was signed into law in 2009, permanently protecting the Badlands.

The 3-mile trek to Flatiron Rock is a rambling stroll that requires about an hour of hiking.

Rising out of the sand in the middle of the Badlands, Flatiron Rock is an outcrop with rock walls that are lined by a few short trails. The rocks feature holes and gouges that were formed by ancient lava flows. Some of the rocks form jagged, strange arches at the top of the outcrop where sections of rock reach out to connect to one another.

A short loop around the top of Flatiron Rock allows hikers to view all the different rock formations up close. Past Flatiron Rock, the trail continues to the north boundary of Oregon Badlands Wilderness.

Otter Bench

Many folks make the trip to Crooked River Ranch to golf at the renowned course there, but just a few miles farther northwest is the Otter Bench Trailhead. From there, hikers can trek along the hillside to the Opal Canyon loop trail, which runs along the 300-foot-deep, 4-mile-long Crooked River Gorge and offers some of the most breathtaking desert scenery in Central Oregon.

The Pink Trail can be descended to reach the Crooked River at the bottom of the picturesque canyon.