Cottonwood Canyon State Park - 2018.05.26

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blackberry
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Joined: February 19th, 2018, 12:04 am

Cottonwood Canyon State Park - 2018.05.26

Post by blackberry » May 28th, 2018, 11:58 pm

Memorial Day weekend arrived and we were raring to go, but were concerned that any place we might try would be full up. So we decided to finally check out one of Oregon's newest state parks, Cottonwood Canyon, and the surrounding area.

To get there from Portland, take I-84 past The Dalles, and then take Highway 97 south for about 10 miles. Right about at Wasco, you'll see the sign that Cottonwood Canyon is another 15 miles down Route 206.

The park straddles the John Day River, thus also straddling Sherman and Gilliam counties. On the north side of the river sits the developed area of the state park. Its few buildings were impressive - well-appointed bathrooms and a very nice "Welcome Center" are the ones I recall. The park has an open area near the river where overflow campers may camp. There is a sizeable parking lot to accommodate RVs. And further down the river there are approximately 20 camping spots, as well as a hiker-biker communal area for about seven tents and one firepit.

The main hiking is downriver (East and then North). You can stick to the campground side of the river, along what is called the Pinnacles Trail. We hiked downriver along the opposite side.
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Getting started on the hike opposite from the campground
We began by parking at the J.S. Burres day use parking lot. We were greeted by a large rattlesnake 10 feet onto the trail, and although it was the only rattler we saw during our trip, it served to make us appropriately respectful of what might be around any shrub or tuft of grass.
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Mostly flat if you stick to the trail
The trail ambled along almost entirely flat, heading toward an area of the canyon called The Pinnacles, which are somewhat-exceptional rock formations that easily differentiate themselves from the nearby rolling hills. Along the way, we passed a few river islands, which were still substantial even in spite of the fact that the John Day river was quite full of water.
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Hillside across the John Day River
The second set of islands, this time right beneath The Pinnacles, is also at a major curve in the river. We began seeing more evidence of the old cattle ranch. Soon, we reached a laminated, rudimentary sign that suggested we try the 3/4 mile Esau Canyon loop trail. The sign ominously suggested, "It's nice! Trust us!."
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The Pinnacles!
It was nice, with just a tiny bit (10-20 feet?) of elevation gain, enough to allow us to get a better view of the river and the surroundings. But the loop, itself, offers little in the way of anywhere to camp. The secret is to go just a bit into Esau Canyon, itself. Standing at the Esau Canyon loop trail sign, Esau Canyon is at 2 o'clock. Within 200 or so feet of the opening into Esau, there is a noticeable tree on the left side. Perhaps more-noticeable is the spring, with running water, that someone has attached a pipe to for easier access.

There was evidence of a fire ring that someone had constructed at this site before us. Judging from the dryness of the grasses and the strong winds, it seemed foolish to us to try to build a fire; and, I don't believe campfires were permitted anyway. So, we pitched our tent between the tree and the spring, and enjoyed an amazing, if frequently windy, night listening to the frog at the spring. The sunset was fantastic.
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Sunset at the mouth of Esau Canyon
I would like to have explored more of Esau Canyon, but I suspect it would have been more of the same. The word "canyon," in this context, is somewhat misleading, because we're not talking about towering rock walls on both sides of you. Esau Canyon is more of a small valley between the adjacent hills.

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