Dog Friendly Metolius River 3-Day Adventure

A thing of beauty
is a joy forever:
its loveliness increases;
it will never pass
into nothingness.

~ John Keats

On the Road Again PAWTRIPPING, this time to the METOLIUS RIVER in Central Oregon.

From Lake Oswego, Oregon, we take the I-5 South, then Santiam Pass/Hwy 22 to the Metolius River, stopping at GOOCH FALLS and  LOST LAKE CAMPGROUND along the way; We have Lunch at the CAMP SHERMAN STORE, then drive to BRIDGE 99 before checking into SUTTLE LAKE LODGE.  On Day 2 we take a hike at WYCHUS CREEK OVERLOOK.  And, on the Last Day, we Hike the WEST METOLIUS RIVER TRAIL, and stop at STEELHEAD FALLS in Terrebonne, before heading back to Lake Oswego, OR over Mt. Hood on Hwy 26.

DAY 1,  Sunday/Halloween (CODY DOG’s Birthday) – LAKE OSWEGO, GOOCH FALLS, LOST LAKE, CAMP SHERMAN STORE, BRIDGE 99, SUTTLE LAKE LODGE

It’s HOWLoween!.. and the weather is perfect, with patches of blue sky and a pleasant temperature, as we set off a little after 9:00 a.m. for the METOLIUS RIVER in Central Oregon with our friend Wendy.

Down the I-5 we go, turning off onto HWY 22 and following the Santiam Pass…

SANTIAM PASS

.. to Marion Forks, where we take a left at Marion Creek Road, just before the bridge.  (If you cross the bridge and turn into the Campground you’ve gone to far!) and continue up the forest road for about 3.5 miles to a small side road (FS850,) turning right and parking just outside the Locked Gate.  This is the GOOCH FALLS TRAILHEAD.

.6 RT GOOCH FALLS Hike
in the WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST

From the Gate, we walk a short distance up the road to a patch of gravel, then take a right and follow along a faint trail, (…which we find thanks to comments made by AllTrails Hikers,) and can just make out GOOCH FALLS through the trees…then  keep walking a little further to a clearing where we have an even better view of the Falls.

“I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE”… A Ledge…What could possibly POSSESS Carole and FLYNN DOG to Scramble down for even a better view and photo op? (Mind you, With Carole clinging to shrubs as she goes, FLYNN in tow)… The Halloween SPIRIT? (Anyway, it was a DUMB MOVE!  Don’t Do It!)

…And as the saying goes, “What Goes Down, Must Come Up”…It’s TRICKY, to say the least,…Loose Gravel?  Slippery Slope?…One Wrong Move?…What could possibly go wtong?  We don’t even want to think about it…SCARY!

Of Course, the FLYNN DOG has no problem going up,  “LOOK MA, NO HANDS!”…Or, PAWS, as the case may be.

(Note:  Carole found out later there is usually a “DANGER” sign that warns hikers not to venture down to the ledge…You Think?!)

GOOCH FALLS 80′ DROP, BLOCK FALLS (photo from the Ledge) on Marion Creek

Then Onward PAWTRIPPERS…back to the Car, back to Hwy 22, heading east to just past where the 22 joins the 20, and there on the left, is  LOST LAKE CAMPGROUND…where we go in search of the MYSTERIOUS LAVA TUBE.

But, after over an hour of walking the dried up Lake Bed and looking for “the HOLE,”without success, we give up, LEAVING THIS MYSTERY to be solved for another time, and…

LOST LAKE CAMPGROUND & LOST LAKE
in the WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST

…head to CAMP SHERMAN for lunch at the CAMP SHERMAN STORE, where we meet up with Wendy’s partner Bill, and eat our delicious DELI Sandwiches from the Store on their DOG-FRIENDLY Deck…BRRR!  Can you say PUPSICLE?

(Be sure to Check the Store for their FALL HOURS)

Note:  We also picked up a great Map of the Metolius area at the store which was produced by the  METOLIUS RIVER ASSOCIATION.

After lunch we drive to BRIDGE 99 and East Campground on the METOLIUS RIVER to REMEMBER THE CODY DOG (Carole’s Love, and inspiration for the Pawtripping Blog!)  “Thank you ALLEN for the CODESTER, and for being my Brother!  I miss you both terribly!”

…then we take the backroad, County Rd. 12,  to SUTTLE LAKE LODGE; the Larch Lighting our Way.

SUTTLE LAKE LODGE
Our lodging for the next 2 nights
in the DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST

“EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT DOGS!”  Take a look at Our Dog-Friendly Ground Floor Room looking out at Suttle Lake, complete with Fireplace and Jacuzzi Tub.

After checking out our rooms, FLYNN DOG leads the way on a walk along the Lake…(walking counter-clockwise)

…and stroll around the grounds.

…Time for
“HAPPY” HOUR
”YOU’VE BEEN FLYNNED!”

Wendy treats us all to Dinner at the DOG-FRIENDLY SKIP BAR in the Lodge.

”TRICK or TREAT…GIVE ME SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT!”
(Flatbreads, Salad and Cocktails)

DAY 2, Monday – WYCHUS CREEK OVERLOOK, SUTTLE LAKE LODGE

Today We Wake in darkness and watch the Day dawn over Suttle Lake. It is a Soggy, Foggy, Fall day!

SPOOKY!

Wendy and Bill are heading home this afternoon, but first we all drive up to  WYCHUS CREEK OVERLOOK for a hike.

Directions to the trailhead:  From Suttle Lake Lodge, we drive into Sisters, Oregon, take a right on Pine Street, left on Jefferson, another right on Three Creek road, and continue up the road to the Trailhead (which is well marked) on the right.

NO PASS OR FEE REQUIRED.

.9-mile WYCHUS CREEK OVERLOOK Loop Trail
in the WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST

It’s a Raincoat and umbrella kind of day as we hike the Loop looking out over the CANYON? (🎶OH WHERE OH WHERE HAS THE CANYON GONE? OH WHERE OH WHERE CAN IT BE?) The Fog is so thick we can only make out the silhouettes of a few trees in the distance, The  MOUNTAINS, CANYON, and CREEK?…HOCUS POCUS…”NOW YOU SEE THEM, TODAY YOU DON’T”

Wendy and Bill leave us from here and head back to Portland, while We return to the Lodge and Cozy up by the fire in our room for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

DAY 3, Tuesday – METOLIUS RIVER TRAIL, STEELHEAD FALLS, HOME

It’s new day, and once again we wake in darkness, the night’s veil lifting to reveal…  a FOG BANK!

This morning, SUTTLE LAKE LODGE is a GHOST TOWN with a only a single car in the parking lot, OURS!

CREEPY!

After packing up we take off like two “BATS OUT OF HELL,” using GPS to guide us to the Metolius River CANYON CREEK CAMPGROUND, and  WEST METOLIUS RIVER TRAILHEAD in the WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST.

The undeveloped road to the Campground is full of chuckholes and pools of water but we manage to drive over and through them…BOW YOWZA!

When we finally reach the trailhead at 9:30 a.m., there are no other cars in sight, CHILLS… so Carole calls the Sister’s Ranger District to ask a few questions before we head out on our own.

1. Wildlife?   No Wildlife…”Just Chipmunks and Squirrels”
2. Smash and Grabs?’   ‘None reported”
3. Pass?    “None required”

The temperature this a.m. is in the 40’s, so FLYNN DOG wears his RUFFWEAR  “Metolius Blue” Coat. (It only seems appropriate!)

NO PASS OR FEE REQUIRED.

“And Into the Woods We go,
To Find Ourselves and Lose our Soul”
~ John Muir

Our 5.7-mile RT WEST METOLIIUS RIVER HIKE begins, following the mesmerizing blue river as it whispers and roars, widens and narrows, through the Canyon…

…Most of the Fall foliage is gone now, making it, easier to see the River…

…there are Springs shooting out of the hillside, then the trail climbs above the river, levels out…and we walk out to the edge of the cliff to view the rapids and river below…

…before continuing our hike, across several small footbridges/planks and crossing a series of creeks, finally arriving at WIZARD FALLS 2.6 miles later.

…After walking out onto the Bridge to see the Falls, we turn around…walking back the way we came.  (The trail was mostly Deserted, and we only ran into a few other hikers on the way back.)

From the Metolius River, we drive out to Hwy 20, make our way through Sisters, then take Hwy 126, and backroads to SW River Road which dead ends at the STEELHEAD FALLS Trailhead.

Note: Park in the first parking area you come to.

NO FEE OR PASS REQUIRED (BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT/BLM)

STEELHEAD FALLS 1-mile RT HIKE
…And, We begin our Descent into the Rimrock Canyon

ending at STEELHEAD FALLS, a 20′ Plunge on the Deschutes River

…Then, REVERSE…And, It’s Back up the hill and stairs we go to our car.

As we drive from Steelhead Falls out to Hwy 26, what do we see?  The Perfect Accompaniment to Halloween!

a SHOE TREE
on NW Lower Bridge Way @ NW 43rd in Terrebonne

…Then it’s up Hwy 26 we go, with MT ST HELENS looming ahead…Or is it MT HOOD disguised as MT ST HELENS…What could be a Better END to our Halloween PAWTRIP complete with Rain and more Fog?

WATCHING THE RIVER RUN

“If you’ve been thinking you’re all that you’ve got
Then don’t feel alone anymore
‘Cause when we’re together then you’ve got alot
‘Cause I am the river and you are the shore

And it goes on and on, watching the river run
Further and further from things that we’ve done
Leaving them one by one
And we have just begun, watching the river run
Listening and learning and yearning, to run river run”

~ Kenny Loggins

ITINERARY AT A GLANCE

DAY 1 Sunday – Lake Oswego to Gooch Falls, Lost Lake Campground, Camp Sherman Store, Bridge 99 Metolius River, Suttle Lake Lodge

• I-5 S to Santiam Pass/Hwy 22 east to Marion Forks Rd, Left for 3.5 miles and right at FS850.
• Gooch Falls Hike – Marion Forks rd, Marion Forks
• hwy 22 merges with hwy 20 to
• Lost Lake Campground – Hwy 20
• hwy 20 east to
• Camp Sherman Store – 25451 SW FS Rd 1419, Camp Sherman, OR
• FS Rd 14 to SW Resorts Rd.
• Bridge 99 Metolius River/Lower Bridge Campground – SW Resorts Rd,
• Suttle Lake Lodge – 13300 Hw 20, Sisters, OR
• Skip Bar – Suttle Lake Lodge

DAY 2 Monday – Suttle Lake Lodge to Wychus Creek Overlook Trailhead, Suttle Lake Lodge

• Hwy 20 into Sisters, Oregon, take a right on Pine Street, left on Jefferson, another right on Three Creek road
• Wychus Creek Overlook Trail – Three Creek Rd, Sisters, OR
• Suttle Lake Lodge – 13300 Hw 20, Sisters, OR

DAY 3 Tuesday – Suttle Lake Lodge to West Metolius River Trail, Steelhead Falls Trail, Lake Oswego

• West Metolius River Hike – Canyon Creek Campground, Camp Sherman, OR
• Steelhead Falls – SW River Rd., Terrebonne, OR

RESOURCES

TRAVEL OREGON
PINTEREST- Various Blogs
DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST
SISTER’S RANGER DISTRICT
METOLIUS RIVER ASSOCIATION.
WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST
SUTTLE LAKE LODGE
BLM (STEELHEAD FALLS)
ONLY IN OREGON
ALLTRAILS
OREGON HIKERS
TRIPCHECK
OUTDOOR PROJECT
THAT OREGON LIFE
“100 HIKES CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES” – William Sullivan
“WATERFALL LOVER’s GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST” – Gregory Plumb
”OREGON ROAD AND RECREATION ATLAS

LODGING

SUTTLE LAKE LODGE
www.thesuttlelodge.com

• 13300 Hwy 20, Sisters, OR
• 541-638-7001
• Dog-Friendly Room; and Dining in Lodge and Seasonally at BoatHouse (indoors and out)
• Room Rate. Plus Pet Fee Per Night
• Amenities:  Complimentary Morning Coffee;  Wifi; Sundry Items; Lake; Fireplace;
• Note:  There is not a refrigerator, but If you bring a cooler, the Lodge will provide ice.

Other Dog Friendly Lodging in the Area:

Best Western Ponderosa (Sisters)
Five Pines Lodge & Spa (Sisters)
Sisters Motorlodge (Sisters)
Lake Creek Lodge (Camp Sherman)
Cold Springs Resort (Camp Sherman)

FLYNN’S PACKING LIST
Dog Food
Paw Butter
Towel
Toys
Kong Bone
Dog Treats
Dog Bowls
Canned Pumpkin
Sheet
Blanket
Dog First Aid Kit
Bottled Water
Rain Coat
Coat
Leash – Handsfree and Regular
Dog Waste Bags
Safety Harness