Meeting the Metolius, Part II: Exploring the Middle River and a Visit to Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery

Now that we have explored the upper Metolius, it's time to feed the fish. Not the feather flies that we (unsuccessfully) offered to the wild trout in our last post; these fish are just waiting for you to arrive and buy fish pellets! Follow the signs on Road 14 to Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery. Built in 1947, the buildings look like something out of an old guide book, and the parklike grounds under towering trees invite a picnic. Check out the scenic settling pond, which is populated with fish who escaped the rearing tanks at one time or another. Rainbow trout, kokanee salmon, spring Chinook, summer steelhead, brook trout, and cutthroat trout are all reared at this hatchery, which is open to the public from 8-5:00 daily. Buy fish food from the machines (there is a change machine in case you run out of quarters) and the fish will gather around you like a group of hungry puppies. Some people employ the more civilized one-piece-at-a-time method, while others throw in the whole handful and observe the chaos that ensues. Whatever your approach, where else can you have this much fun for 25 cents?

Wizard Falls

While at the hatchery, walk to the bridge to see Wizard Falls. Although not technically a waterfall, this churning blue cascade is particularly photogenic and easy to access. For a highly recommended five-and-a-half mile (round trip) hike, park on the east side of the river, cross the bridge, and look for a trail on the left. 

The river here is notably different from our previous hikes; larger and stronger, it rushes dark and white, but where it has dug itself in deeply it reflects in shades of blue. Hike upriver (south) through wide, hilly country under incense cedars and ponderosa pines. The trail is sometimes crossed with roots and rocks and it's prone to patches of mud, plus there are occasional brief climbs, but overall it is an easy-to-moderate hike that most people can manage.

Canyon Creek confluence

As the path continues, you suddenly realize that you are now in a canyon. Small springs are common in this area, but watch for a group of large ones rushing into the river like a waterfall coming out of the east riverbank. Continue on to Lower Canyon Creek Campground, our turnaround point. Here is the conclusion of Canyon Creek, born in the famously beautiful Canyon Creek Meadows on Three Fingered Jack. This confluence is a great spot for a quick snack before walking back to the hatchery.

Lower Bridge (Bridge 99)

For those interested in further exploration, there is a loop trail from the hatchery downriver to Lower Bridge, but note that it does leave the river for some distance due to private property. It is an easy drive to Lower Bridge, though, and a commodious campground spreads out next to the river, which at this point has grown even wider. Lower Bridge is a magnet for fly fishermen, and it also marks the beginning of legal dispersed camping on the many dirt spur roads.

A lovely two-and-a-half mile (round trip) hike to Candle Creek Campground begins near the bridge on the west bank of the river. This stretch has areas of lush undergrowth that are almost reminiscent of westside hiking. Walk along the river until you reach the campground. While this is a relatively easy hike, driving to the campground actually requires a longer route on a sometimes-rough road, so the campground has a remote, peaceful feel. Candle Creek flows along one side to meet the Metolius. This is the last campground on this stretch, as tribal land begins just downstream at Jefferson Creek.

Back at Lower Bridge, check out the picnic shelter, another project of the CCC. This is an excellent spot for a snack prior to your drive back out. It is also possible to walk some distance downstream along the mostly-abandoned dirt road on the east side, but it is an undeveloped trail through a wild canyon and therefore a bit beyond the scope of our blog.

Return the way you came, driving among pines and bitterbrush, following this unique and beautiful river back to Camp Sherman and Highway 20. Take time to linger in the peaceful forest, as those eastside farm families did a century ago. They had the right idea.

 

We're off to see the Wizard...

 

 

 

 

Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery

 

 

 

 

 

The "one piece at a time" method

 

 

 

 

One of many fish food dispensers, near the old tanks

 

 

 

 

Settling pond

The "whole handful" method

 

 

 

 

Hiking upstream

 

 

 

Springs flowing in from the east bank

 

Canyon Creek confluence

 

 

 

 

Hooded merganser

 

 

 

 

Lower bridge

 

 

Hiking downstream from the bridge

 

 

 

 

 

Green Ridge

 

 

Candle Creek confluence (golly, this blog has a lot of C alliteration, don't it?)

 

 

 

 

Hiking back to lower bridge. Thanks for exploring with us!

 

Meeting the Metolius, Part I: The Headwaters and Camp Sherman

Born fully-formed from a series of springs at the base of Black Butte, the Metolius River flows at a rate of 50,000 gallons per minute at its headwaters, steadily gathering more volume from springs and creeks on its way to meet with Lake Billy Chinook. This 29-mile river is renowned for its scenery and its fly-fishing, particularly the upper 11.5 miles; the lower river borders tribal land in a wild, remote series of canyons. Sacred to local tribes and protected by the National Wild and Scenic River Act, this unique river is indeed a special place.

To experience the Metolius, one should begin at the beginning. Take Road 14 north from Highway 20/126 (about 100 miles from Salem, or 10 miles from Sisters) and look for the well-marked turn toward the Head of the Metolius. An easy, quarter-mile round trip walk on a paved path through the pines leads to the origin of the river, partially concealed in the brush, flowing quickly out through meadow and forest. 

Backtrack, then turn towards the tiny town of Camp Sherman, developed over 100 years ago as a place for farmers from the east side to bring their families for camping, hiking, and fishing. The store was first opened in 1916, and the present building dates from 1923. This "little bit of everything" shop is a fun place to snoop around, looking for things you might have forgotten or may decide you need. The area's post office is housed at the other end of the building. 

Park across the street at the fish viewing platform to take advantage of an easy, level 2.2-mile loop hike along the river. Cross the bridge to find a path on the west riverbank and walk downstream past a series of charming cabins. Meadows and ponderosa pines lie to the left. This section of the river spreads out and hurries smoothly along, talking quietly to itself. Bird song, almost canary-like, from the river gives away the location of an American dipper (water ouzel). Look for a greyish little bird that could be an especially sturdy blackbird; it will probably be standing on a rock in the river, bobbing its tail. Until it calmly walks under the water for its next aquatic meal.

Continue along the path to Allingham Bridge. This area is a favorite among anglers (check regulations; at this writing, fishing is catch-and-release with barbless hooks, and much of the river is fly-fishing only). Cross the bridge to find the return path. There are two campgrounds here, Smiling River and Allingham (as with all of the campgrounds in this popular area, reservations are highly recommended). As you walk back, the Green Ridge fault rises to the left, cloaked with pine trees. Boggy areas of the riverbank are crossed by boardwalks through the lush growth shortly before reaching Camp Sherman Campground. Note the circular shelter complete with fireplace and woodstoves; this is one of three such shelters originally built here in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. These shelters were a great improvement for campers of the era, when there were no RVs or paved roads and equipment was whatever campers could bring from home. Continue along the riverside path to your car.

This quiet, somehow set-apart place hasn't changed much in over 140 years, since those first farmers relaxed here with their kids. Before that, native people cherished the river for thousands of years, naming it for the light-colored Chinook salmon they caught here. And always, unfailingly the water pushes up through the earth, sparkling in the sun and rushing by the dipper where she sits on her favorite rock, singing to the river.

Trail to the headwaters

Headwaters through the bushes

Snowberry, rose hips, and ponderosa pine

Farther down the river

The photographer becomes the photographed

Camp Sherman Store

Camp Sherman bridge and fish viewing platform

Black butte peeking up above the Metolius

The photographer failing to catch fish

No fish were harmed in the making of this blog post

See you for Part 2!