Accessible Trails in the Prineville Area

Painted Hills Unit - John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Directions:

The Painted Hills Unit is located 50 miles east of Prineville just off Highway 26 and 9 miles northwest of the town of Mitchell.

Features:

The hills get their name from the delicately colored stratifications in the soil. Stop at the Painted Hills Overlook for a stunning viewpoint.

For able-bodied companions, this is also the gateway to a ½-mile trail to see the colorful landscape from different angles.

The Leaf Hill Trail has hard-packed surface and easy grades. About half of the 1/3 mile trail is wheelchair accessible.

An exhibit describes the site, where thousands of plant fossils have been removed and research continues.

The Painted Cove Trail is a short ¼ mile trail that winds around a crimson and ochre hill, permitting a close-up view of popcorn-textured claystones that expand when wet and a rhyolite flow that marks the transition between the Clarno and John Day Formations.

One third of the trail is boardwalk, which is wheelchair accessible. You can follow the trail among the red and gold claystone Hills. Interpretive signage tell the geologic story.

A wide gravel trail completes the trail.

Other park trails are not considered ADA accessible. However, there are other easy, gravel trails that some slow walkers and mobility device users may explore.

A landscaped picnic area provides restrooms, water, shaded picnic tables, and exhibits.

Other:

The yellows, golds, blacks, and reds of the Painted Hills are best seen and photographed in the late afternoon. The Painted Hills are one of the most frequently photographed areas of Oregon, especially during wildflower season. During the spring and summer, the Painted Hills Ranger Station maintains a wildflower hotline (541-462-3961) that provides a current report of what is in bloom.

See the NPS Website for Painted Hills.

The Sheep Rock Unit - John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Directions:

The Sheep Rock Unit is located on Highway 19 between the towns of Dayville and Kimberly, 2 miles from the junction of Highway 26 and Highway 19 (milepost 122).

Features:

Sheep Rock, towering 1,100 feet above the John Day River, gives its name to this unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National monument. This unit also houses the park headquarters at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. The center has a fossil museum, theater, and restrooms, which are all wheelchair accessible. Across the highway from the center is the Cant Ranch. The ranch house contains park headquarters, a cultural museum and restrooms, which are all wheelchair accessible.

The River Trail at the ranch is a 1/4 mile accessible trail to the banks of the John Day River.

The Story in Stone Trail is a 1/3 mile paved trail. The trail is rated easy with short sections of moderate grades where some wheelchair users might need assistance.

Other:

Drive-to overlooks are located in all three park units. All designated overlooks have hard-packed surfaces allowing wheelchair users the opportunity to see the overlook exhibits and view.

Near the junction of Hwy 19 and Hwy 26, check out Picture Gorge and the Mascall Formation Overlook for grand views of the John Day Valley.

Near the entrance to the Sheep Rock Unit, Hwy 26 disappears into a cleft in the rocks called Picture Gorge. its name comes from prehistoric pictographs which have been found up the sides of the canyon. There are exhibits along a short trail.

If you like to partake of small town atmospheres, visit the towns of Mitchell, Kimberley, and Fossil on this scenic route.

See NPS photos of all three units.

The Clarno Unit - John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Directions:

The Clarno Unit is located 20 miles west of the town of Fossil. along Highway 218.

Features:

The Clarno Unit features dramatic palisades, with many preserved fossil plants in the ancient cathedral-shaped mudstone spires.

There are no ADA accessible trails, but for some slow walkers, check out the Geologic Time trail and Trail of the Fossils, a 1/4-mile trail that guides you to boulders from the palisades where erosion has exposed glimpses of a fossil forest.

There is a pulloff on Highway 218 near the trailhead and also at the picnic area where wheelchair users can view the palisades.

Other:

Best photographed in early am or late pm.

Even though there are no ADA trails at Clarno, it makes a good loop on the Scenic Byway along the John Day river to visit all three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument: Clarno, Sheep Rock, and Painted Hills.

Walton Lake Trail

Directions:

From Prineville at jct. of US Hwy. 26 and State Hwy. 27 (Main St.) go east on Hwy 26 for 16.1 miles to County Road 123. Turn east onto C.R. 123 for 8.5 miles to F.R. 22 Continue east on F.R. 22 for 6.6 miles to F.R. 2220. Turn north onto F.R. 2220 for 0.2 miles to Walton Lake

Features:

Walton Lake is a small lake snuggled among old growth ponderosa pine and mountain meadows. The one-mile, barrier-free Walton Lake Trail circles the lake.   Wildlife viewing opportunities include deer, beaver, otter, muskrat, and many varieties of birds. The Forest Service Website describes the accessiblity level as "more difficult." See their Wildlife Viewing Website for more information.

Other:

A day-use picnic area is located near the boat launch.  It includes two tables, two firegrills, a sandy beach and an accessible fishing pier.  This is a barrier free facility and has a reserved disability parking space. Fishing is usually excellent to fair.  The lake is stocked three times each summer with Rainbow Trout. Electric motors only on the lake.

The south shore section of Walton Lake Campground has one handpump but its vaults are wheelchair-friendly. The campsites in the south shore section can accomodate tents and RVs. Most sites in the campground have a view of Walton Lake.

Sugar Creek Trail #824 - Ochoco Mountains

Directions:

From Prineville, go 56 miles east on OR 380 to Paulina, 3.5 miles east on County Road 112, then nine miles north on County Road 113, Forest Road 58 & FR 50.

Features:

The paved Sugar Creek Trail is a 1.25 miles loop from the Sugar Creek campground through a ponderosa pine forest, crossing two bridges over Sugar Creek. Designed as a barrier-free trail, the trail is intended to provide easy access along Sugar Creek within the campground while protecting sensitive riparian resources from the effects of concentrated use. Short side spurs allow access to various features of the campground.

On the way to this destination, you can car tour and experience the Ochoco National Forest's beauty and bounty passing by vast meadows and into the rolling green heights of the Ochoco Mountains.

Other:

The small, quiet, and remote campground has some accessible campsites, restrooms, and picnic area. The sites accomodate small RVs only (22 feet max with no hookups). Vault toilets have barrier-free design, with gravel approach paths. Sites have paved landings, but reportably, some mobility obstacles in many sites. Trail surfaces are a mix of cinder and asphalt segments.

Nearby an old growth stand provides shelter for many wildlife species, including a Bald Eagle winter roost site.

See this blog for a wonderful report about this campground.

NOTE: Campground will be closed July through September 2008 for tree thinning. Contact District Ranger office for status 541-477-6900.