Wednesday, October 2, 2024

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!