A good day hiking is a day well-spent.

And a good hike is more than a vigorous walk through the woods. There’s a social side; good company helps make the memory. Observing wild places and wild things always enhances the experience. And, a well-executed trail that rolls with the geological punches is a definite plus.

We had all that going for us on one of Central Oregon’s most interesting hiking paths.

The Tumalo Creek Trail between Shevlin Park and the Columbia Southern Canal is challenging. It follows the blustery creek upstream for four miles of rock scrambling, eagle watching, photo snapping bliss. The wildflowers are just starting to pop and Tumalo Creek is in top turbulent form.

It’s an eight-mile out-and-back (if you go all the way to the old canal) that takes hikers just below the rim of the basalt canyon, then closer to Tumalo Creek. The trail is off-limits to mountain bikers and equestrian traffic.

This section of trail was engineered and built a few years back but was upgraded recently by a Forest Service trail crew led by John Schubert. Schubert also warned hikers of the ravenous ticks in this part of the Deschutes National Forest.

We opted to take it slow, stop for a creekside lunch and get back to Bend before a drizzle turned into a deluge.

But before all that, we watched a couple of golden eagles soaring right above the rimrock and noted some oversized tracks heading straight downhill in the damp soil toward the creek.

It’s the kind of place a big cat can go about its business without any major press coverage.

Those hiking this reach of the Tumalo Creek Trail can return the way they came, hook into the Mrazek Trail (an eight-mile loop) or hotfoot it back along the Forest Service Road on the northern rim.

While there are straight-forward sections, much of this trail is up, over and around rocks, which makes it both fun and a little hazardous. Take it slow to avoid turning an ankle.

And then there was the social side. After the hike we watched the rain bang down from the cozy confines of Parrilla Grill. That’s where a friend noticed a speck of dirt on my neck that started moving and turned into a tick before her eyes.

Always trust the guy who built the trail.

Drive west on Skyliners Road 2.4 miles past the Mt. Washington Drive roundabout. Turn right onto a dirt road and left after one-tenth of a mile onto Road 4606. Drive 1.5 miles to the bridge across Tumalo Creek. Park just beyond the bridge and hike up the spur trail to just below the ridge or drive another half-mile to the top of the grade and park across from the trailhead on the right.

No Northwest Forest Pass is required.