VACATIONING

Lower Crooked River Tour

Take a day trip in the Crooked River's National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Main Street turns into State Highway 27, also known as the Crooked River Highway, as you travel south of Prineville. The highway will take you through farmlands before entering a rugged, gray and red columnar basalt-lined canyon. The BLM maintains a number of premier campsites for day use and for camping. The lower Crooked River Recreation Area is below Bowman Dam and the Prineville Reservoir, and is a river nationally known for its rainbow trout fly fishing.

Use Common Courtesy by doing the following:

Respect private property and only camp on Federal lands.
Keep noise to a minimum. Operating generators, amplified music, and other excessive or loud noise from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. is prohibited.
Do not discharge firearms at any time within the campgrounds or day use areas.
Be courteous to others. If someone is fishing where you want to fish, ask if your presence will disturb them.

Selected Points of Interest

Downtown Prineville - 0 mile. The tour starts at the intersection of 3rd and Main Street. Proceed south on Main Street, which turns into State Hwy. 27.
Elkin's Gem Stones - .7 mile. Judy Elkins, owner, is a third-generation rock hound. She makes custom jewelry, sells rock specimens and equipment, and gives rock hunting advice.
Crook County Fairgrounds - .8 mile. Site of the Crooked River Roundup PRCA Rodeo, Crooked River Roundup Parimutuel Horse Races, Crook County Fair, 4-H Activities, Prineville’s Rockhound Pow Wow and other events.
Crooked River Park - 1 mile. Multiple baseball diamonds and the Les Schwab Amphitheater are located here.
Lower Crooked River Natural Back Country Scenic Byway - 1.4 mile. The Bureau of Land Management Byway begins.
Basalt Columns - 7.1 miles. View the canyon showcasing rugged, natural basalt columns.
BLM Crooked River Natural Wilderness and Recreation Areas - 12.0 miles. Enjoy nine camping areas along a 4-mile stretch of river, none of which have a day use fee. All have rest rooms and each campsite has a picnic table, fire pit with grate, and parking spot. Dogs must be on a leash. Access to the river varies at each site, but potable water is available at the Chimney Rock site. Wildlife includes deer, otter, beaver, eagles, chuckar, herons, hawks, swallows, and rattlesnakes There are occasional sightings of coyote and cougar. There is a wheel-chair-accessible fishing platform located at Chimney Rock.
Castle Rock - 12.6 miles.
Stillwater - 13.6 miles. This spot is a great place to watch the beaver work.
Lone Pine - 15.7 miles.
Lower Palisades - 16.5 miles. There is easy access for larger RVs. This campground gets its name from the definition of a palisade — a line of bold cliffs. Locals call it Lytle Grade in honor of Sam Lytle who was driving his Model-T Ford truck when the steering failed back in 1925. The truck went over the side and hung up in a tree, but Sam was ejected and fell over 100 feet to the river below. Amazingly, Sam survived.
Chimney Rock - 17.2 miles. Here you will find the trailhead that leads to Chimney Rock. It is a 1/4 mile zigzag climb to the rock for a spectacular view.
Cobble Rock - 19.5 miles. Eagles are often seen from this location along with the Bald Eagles that winter in the canyon.
Devil's Post Pile - 20.4 miles. The columnar rock formations were formed by the erosion of volcanic rock.
Poison Butte - 20.8 miles.
Big Bend - 21 miles. Group campsite with ample parking.
Bowman Dam - 22 miles. This rolled earth and rock-filled dam was built in 1961. The dam is 800 feet long at the crest and 35 feet wide, while the base is 1,100 feet wide. The dam created the Prineville Reservoir which holds 153,000 acre-feet of water and was built for irrigation. It is 12 miles long and at its widest, 1 mile across. The Crooked River and Bear Creek are the primary water sources for the reservoir. Prineville Reservoir is a popular recreation destination attracting over 340,000 visitors annually, many coming to try their hand at fishing the over 170,000 stocked rainbow trout. There is also excellent fishing for smallmouth bass and trout. The Prineville Reservoir State Park is located on a 365-acre site on the north side of the reservoir and the Bureau of Reclamation (U.S. Department of the Interior) manages the reservoir.
Powder House - 23 miles. There is a boat ramp and restrooms on the reservoir's north shore.

MORE ABOUT THE CROOKED RIVER

The Crooked River has an extensive drainage that covers much of the interior of Crook County. The North Fork heads near Summit Prairie and the South Fork heads near the G.I. Ranch. Peter Skene Ogden and a group of Hudson Bay trappers in search of beaver were among the first white men to explore the river in 1825. The Crooked River was named for its meandering nature. It is a tributary of the Deschutes River, joining that river at the current-day Lake Billy Chinook. Prior to the construction of the Bowman Dam, the river would often flood the town of Prineville.

Rattlesnakes - Avoid rattlesnakes by keeping out of grassy or brushy areas. If you do see a snake, back up slowly and walk in the opposite direction. Do not harm or kill it.
Raptors - Raptors are carnivores (meat-eaters) and as a group, they have impressive abilities. These birds of prey include hawks, eagles, owls, and falcons. Raptor is a Latin word meaning "one who seizes by force" and all raptors have locking tendons in their talons. The great horned owl can see 80 times better at night than a human. A peregrine falcon can reach diving speeds of 220 mph. Bald eagles have been known to drown because they locked onto a fish too big for them to lift. Watch for eagles and hawks flying above the canyons.
Swallows - If you are fishing the river, watch the swallows. When they feed by skimming the surface of the river, it is time to start fishing with a dry fly!

Note: There are no services, gas or food on the Crooked River Highway. The only site with water is Chimney Rock. Beware of deer at dawn and dusk.