Crooked River Ranch was just an overnight stop for us between running errands in Bend, Oregon and journeying to Trout Lake, Washington where we would stay for 17 days, but it turned out to be a place we wish we had stayed longer. On August 25th, we left the Crescent – La Pine area and moved Foxy, our home on wheels, to the Crooked River Ranch RV Park. After setting up we drove into town to wash Blondie, our truck, and stock up on groceries.
We returned in the early evening and decided to take a stroll over to the Crooked River to see the main attraction at this RV park before leaving the next day. We followed the little trail out to the overlook and our jaws dropped! The canyon was deep and narrow, and the Crooked River meandered in tight twists far below our feet at the canyon’s edge. We were stunned at the sight we had nearly missed if our errands had taken us any longer.
We walked along the canyon’s edge and came to a sign for the Crooked River Canyon Trail. The property adjacent to Crooked River Ranch had been purchased by the Trust for Public Land and would be managed by the Bureau of Land Management for public recreation. Although we didn’t have time to hike all the way down to the river, we walked a short distance down the trail to the point where the sounds above the canyon walls were muffled, and the rushing water of the river below was loud and clear. The sun was setting as we returned to our trailer for the night, and we felt lucky to have stumbled upon such a special place.
