Cottonwood Canyon - Pinnacles Trail (Dec 31)

[Splintercat]

Closed out 2023 with a trip east to Cottonwood Canyon on Sunday. My goal was to see some blue sky, but I started getting nervous about the National Weather Service forecast for the east side as the overcast continued all the way to Biggs Junction, then on up to the Wasco Junction where it turned into fog. Alas, a few miles beyond Wasco I hit the edge of the fog bank that was filling the Columbia Basin and drove into bright sunlight as I started the descent into Cottonwood Canyon... boom!

This was actually a ride for me, but since this is also a great hike, I thought I'd post here on Oregon Hikers. It was also a bit of a sentimental journey -- I rode my 1999 Trek Millennium "special edition" (which used to sound new!) on it's 25th birthday. Damn, I'm getting old!

My main goal was some river scenes with that beautiful, low winter light, but voila! I had brought my 300mm lens, and sure enough, spotted three separate groups of Bighorn (I think technically they all belong to the same herd)! Really excited to see them - my first Bighorn Sheep in Oregon!

The old man and his (old) bike...

Basalt cliffs along the John Day River...

Bighorns! The first of three groups -- these were along the upper Walnut Loop trail:

These are from the third group -- about 1.5 miles farther down the canyon near the big bend:

I was only about 50 yards from this group and right on the main trail. This was at about 3:30 PM and the shadows were getting long. As the sun dropped down, I watched all three groups making their way up into the cliffs on my trip back -- perhaps because that's a safer place (from predators) to spend the night?

This was odd -- the gate at about the 3.5 mile mark was in place. I didn't feel right going around it (as some obviously had), but I was curious as to why this is in place. The "official" end of the trail is at the pinnacles, which is around the bend from this spot. This is past the spring/summer Golden Eagle closure gates... so, is this a new wildlife closure?

Long shadows on the way back to the trailhead...

...and a sentimental shot of Old Bessie along the way home!

The Golden Eagle closure begins on February 1 (I believe), so there's still a bit of winter left to expiore this trail. After that, it's closed until next fall.

Very pretty area -- and feeling fortunate to live in a town where I can go 2 hours west and be standing in rainforest on a Pacific Ocean cape or go 2 hour east and be standing in sagebrush in a desert canyon!

Tom

[retired jerry]

nice sheep sighting

That happened to me several years ago on the Deschutes

They ran across the trail right in front of me. I was a bit concerned they'd trample me

I'd probably go through the gate if there was no sign on it telling me not to do so. Maybe it was to prevent cars (even though there's an earlier gate to prevent them)

[Walkin' Fool]

Hey, I think my husband and I saw you that day! (We were the ones looking for pheasant and chukar.) It's so cool to see so many sheep. We first started going there when the state park opened in 2013(ish?) and it was very rare to see a big horned sheep. Now we see them all the time out there! Last year, we saw a herd of 20-25 run down the cliffs on the Pinnacles side, swim across the John Day, and run up the cliffs on the Lost Coral side (a bit downstream from Esau Canyon). We wondered if something was chasing them, because they were moving pretty fast. Some of the young ones were a bit hesitant about crossing the river, but they all made it. Very cool to see.

I'm not sure what the gate was for, but since the eagle closure isn't in effect yet, and there were no posted signs or notices anywhere, we felt all right walking around the gate. With the rangers being so close, I can't imagine they wouldn't put up a closure sign if it was closed. It is odd, though...

[Splintercat]

Last year, we saw a herd of 20-25 run down the cliffs on the Pinnacles side, swim across the John Day, and run up the cliffs on the Lost Coral side (a bit downstream from Esau Canyon). We wondered if something was chasing them, because they were moving pretty fast. Some of the young ones were a bit hesitant about crossing the river, but they all made it. Very cool to see.

That's amazing! I'd love to have seen that..! If you were the couple I ran into by the Walnut Trail junction, then yes, I do remember you!

Jerry, you reminded me that this was the second Bighorn sighting for me in Oregon -- I had a group of about six drop down a cliff and into the middle of the road on the John Day Highway near Spray a few years ago! Totally out of the blue, but fortunately they were a good 30 feet ahead of me and I wasn't driving too fast. My only other sightings have been in Nevada. I'm so glad we have them (back) in Oregon!

Tom

[bobcat]

The sheep are always there on the Gooseneck. Maybe they come down lower in the winter because of a lack of human traffic, but if you stay in the campground and scope the ridge, you'll usually see them. They are quite a substantial herd and quite loyal to the location!

[retired jerry]

I usually see sheep on the cliffs on the other side of the Deschutes when I walk along

[Splintercat]

I usually see sheep on the cliffs on the other side of the Deschutes when I walk along

Jerry, are you talking about the lower end (from Dechutes River State Park) or from the BLM access road on the south end?

@Bobcat, what do you make of the gate I ran into short of the Pinnacles?

-Tom

[retired jerry]

I have seen big horns from highway 216 most of the way to the Columbia

Beavertail and Mack's Canyon campgrounds are good

[bobcat]

@Bobcat, what do you make of the gate I ran into short of the Pinnacles?

If it's just short of the Pinnacles, it may be a seasonal gate to keep people who arrive from the other direction (presumably by raft or canoe and then walking; or alternatively by hiking to the top of the Gooseneck from Murtha Ranch and then dropping down to river level cross-country, as I have done in the past) out of the eagle nesting area. Since there's nothing posted on it right now, I'm sure you can go around. Was it facing upstream or downstream?

[Splintercat]

It was facing upstream (toward the trailhead), so that's why I felt like it was signaling that the trail ahead was closed. I'm hoping to get over there one more time before the Feb 1 seasonal closer, and if so, I'll ask a ranger.

Thanks!

Tom