Conditions report for trails, camping, fishing near Redmond, Prineville
Published 12:00 am Friday, October 1, 2021
- A view of the Cascades and Gray Butte from the top of the Rimrock Springs trail.
Cooler temperatures mean that the typically drier, less shady trails near Redmond and Prineville are great to start exploring. Between stunning geologic formations and river canyons, as well as beautifully verdant mountains, the area has a lot to offer.
Fire restrictions have been lifted across the board, but the risk of a wildfire is still very real. If you do light a fire, know the requirements and make sure it is completely smothered before you pack out.
For a full list of conditions updated regularly, please visit centraloregonexplore.com
Hiking and Day Use Sites
Ochoco National Forest
Alder Springs Trailhead: Open
Antelope Flat Reservoir: Open
Baneberry Trailhead: Open
Barnhouse Trailhead: Open
Black Canyon East (Formerly South Fork) Trailhead: Open
Black Canyon West (Formerly Dusty Camp) Trailhead: Open
Boeing Field Trailhead: Open
Coffeepot Trailhead: Open
Cottonwood Trailhead: Open
Cougar East Trailhead: Open
Cougar West Trailhead: Open
Cyrus Trailhead: Open
Fry Trailhead: Open
Giddy-Up Go Trailhead: Open
Gray Butte Trailhead: Open
Green Mountain North Trailhead: Open
Green Mountain South Trailhead: Open
Hammer Creek Trailhead: Open
Henderson Flat OHV Trail System: Open
Henderson Flat Staging Area: Open
Keeton Trailhead: Open
Kelsey Trailhead: Open
Line Butte East (Formerly Fawn Creek) Trailhead: Open
Line Butte West Trailhead: Open
Lookout Mountain Lower Trailhead: Open
Lookout Mountain Upper Trailhead: Open
Mascall Corral (Formerly Apple West) Trailhead: Open
Mother Lode Mine Trailhead: Open
Payten Trailhead: Open
Potlid North Trailhead: Open
Potlid South Trailhead: Open
Rim (Formerly Apple Middle) Trailhead: Open
Rimrock Springs Trailhead: Open
Rock Creek Trailhead: Open
Round Mountain North Trailhead: Open
Round Mountain South Trailhead: Open
Scales Corral Trailhead: Open
Scotty Creek Trailhead: Open
Skull Hollow Trailhead: Open
South Prong Trailhead: Open
Steins Pillar Trailhead: Open
Tam-A-Lau Trailhead: Open
Trail Crossing Corrals Trailhead: Open
Twin Pillars North Trailhead: Open
Twin Pillars South Trailhead: Open
Walton Lake Trailhead: Closed
Wildcat North Trailhead: Open
Wildcat South Trailhead: Open
Bureau of Land Management
Chimney Rock Trail: Open
Cline Buttes Recreation Area: Open
Huntington Wagon Road: Open
Lower Crooked River: Open
North Fork: Open
Redmond Caves Recreation Site: Open
Scout Camp Trail: Open
Steelhead Falls Trail: Open
Tumalo Reservoir: Open
Trout Creek Trail: Open
Oregon State Parks
Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint: Open
Cove Palisades State Park: Open; seasonal winter closures in place, ABC (Deschutes) Campground, South and Middle Loops of E (Crooked River) are closed, Lower Deschutes Day Use closed, marina closed
Jasper Point: Open; boats with motors are not advised due to low water; Prineville Reservoir, Powderhouse Cove and Jasper Point boat ramps closed
Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint: Open
Prineville Reservoir State Park: Open; boats with motors are not advised due to low water; Prineville Reservoir, Powderhouse Cove and Jasper Point boat ramps closed
Smith Rock State Park: Open
Camping
Ochoco National Forest
Allen Creek Horse Camp: Open; no campfires
Antelope Flat Reservoir Campground and Day Use: Open
Barnhouse Campground: Open; no campfires
Big Spring Campground: Open; no campfires
Biggs Springs Campground: Open; no campfires
Bingham Springs Campground: Open; no campfires
Cold Springs Guard Station: Open; no campfires
Cottonwood Campground: Open; no campfires
Cottonwood Pit Campground: Open; no campfires
Cyrus Horse Camp: Open; no campfires; no campfires
Deep Creek Campground: Open
Dry Creek Horse Camp: Open; no campfires
Elkhorn Campground: Campground: Open; no campfires
Frazier Campground: Open; no campfires
Haystack Reservoir Campground and Day Use Area: Open
Haystack Reservoir Group Site: Open
Haystack West Shore Campground and Day Use Area: Open
Mud Springs Horse Camp: Open; no campfires
Ochoco Divide Campground: Open
Ochoco Divide Group Site: Open
Ochoco Forest Campground: Open
Ochoco Forest Camp Group Pavillion: Open
Ochoco Ranger Rental House: Open; no campfires
Salters Cabin Horse Camp: Open; no campfires
Scotts Campground: Open; no campfires
Skull Hollow Campground: Open
Sugar Creek Campground and Day Use Area: Open
Walton Lake Campground: Open
Walton Lake Group Campsites: Open
Whistler Campground: Open; no campfires
White Rock Campground: Open; no campfires
Wildcat Campground and Day Use Area: Open
Wildwood Campground: Open; no campfires
Wiley Flat Campground: Open; no campfires
Wolf Creek Campground: Open
Wolf Creek Industrial Campground: Open
BLM — Prineville District
Barr Road North Staging Area: Open; no campfires
Big Bend Campground: Open; no campfires
Buckhorn Staging Area: Open; no campfires
Castle Rock Campground: Open
Chimney Rock Campground: Open
Cobble Rock Campground: Open
Lone Pine Campground: Open; no campfires
Macks Canyon Recreation Site: Open; no campfires
Palisades Campground: Open
Post Pile Campground: Open
Steelhead Falls: Open; no potable water; no campfires
Stillwater Campground: Open
Cycling
Prineville and Ochoco trails
Cougar Creek, Lookout Mountain: Riding well, deadfall reported
All other trails riding well
Maston complex
All trails riding well
Redmond trails
The Saddle: Closed for nesting eagles, likely to reopen late fall of 2021
All trails riding well
Madras East Trails
E-Bikes allowed on all trails
All trails riding well
Fishing
Updated at 9 a.m. Sept. 30
Lower Deschutes (Pelton Dam to Columbia River): 4,260 cfs; redband trout, steelhead, whitefish; emergency closure from mouth to Sherars Falls in effect for steelhead, mouth to Moody rapids is closed to all fishing, water temps are declining, fall Chinook and coho numbers are starting to increase
Middle Deschutes (Benham Falls to Lake Billy Chinook): 3,670 cfs; brown trout, rainbow trout; anglers reporting good fishing in the mornings and evenings; artificial flies and lures only, no limit on brown trout
Crooked River (below Opal Springs): 1,272 cfs; rainbow trout and mountain whitefish; any trout over 20 inches are considered steelhead and must be released, bull trout must be released unharmed and reported to the USFW at crookedbulltrout@fws.gov
Metolius River: 1,240 cfs; bull trout, rainbow trout; good fishing which should improve with cooler temperatures; fly fishing only upstream of Bridge 99, artificial lures and flies permitted below; catch and release only; public access to Wizard Falls Hatchery remains closed
Prineville Reservoir: 20% full; rainbow trout, small and largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, crayfish; trout fishing has been good near the dam, all boat ramps are closed due to low water
Ochoco Reservoir: 12% full; rainbow trout, black crappie, smallmouth bass; water level is still extremely low and bank access is limited to walk-in only
Haystack Reservoir: 31% full; rainbow and brown trout, kokanee, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill and bullhead catfish; North Unit Irrigation District has ended irrigation for the season and will not be releasing water into the reservoir, boat ramps are unusable and shoreline access for any bank fishing will be from the muddy, exposed lake bed
Lake Billy Chinook: Bull, brown and rainbow trout, kokanee, smallmouth bass; bass fishing picking up with kokanee and bull trout fishing being fair
Walton Lake: Rainbow trout
Fire danger is currently listed as High in the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River Grasslands. It is listed as Low in the Willamette National Forest.
Industrial Fire Precaution Level has been lowered to Level 1 as of Oct. 1
As of July 22, Deschutes River access is closed due to safety concerns and to prevent further erosion to the river bank. The access point will be closed until further notice. For more information visit bendparksandrec.org
More Conditions

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