Alder Springs Hike

Join Central Oregon LandWatch for a moderate to strenuous walk down into the scenic lower Whychus Creek Canyon to Alder Springs. We will check out the confluence of the creek with the thundering Deschutes River below a towering wedge of rimrock on this premier Central Oregon hike.

Watch for wildflowers, raptors, songbirds, lizards, and rattlesnakes enjoying the last bit of summer. This western portion of the Crooked River National Grassland is part of a mosaic of public and private lands that Central Oregon LandWatch is working to protect as important wildlife habitat, winter range, and a migration corridor between the Cascades and the Ochocos.

The drive from Bend to the trailhead is about 1 hour, the last few miles of which are on a rough dirt road – high clearance, 4WD strongly recommended. Please volunteer to drive if you have a rig that can handle this.

The approximately 6 mile round-trip hike is moderately to strenuous, with a fair amount of elevation loss on the way out and gain on the way back. The hike can get hot and dusty. Bring: sun sauce, bug sauce, hiking boots, shades, a hat, lunch, and plenty of water.

We will meet in Bend at 9:00am for the carpool. All attendees will be asked to pitch in for gas.

Please note: As is often the case for hikers in this area, we may encounter rattlesnakes on this hike.

Join Central Oregon LandWatch for a moderate to strenuous walk down into the scenic lower Whychus Creek Canyon to Alder Springs. We will check out the confluence of the creek with the thundering Deschutes River below a towering wedge of rimrock on this premier Central Oregon hike.

Watch for wildflowers, raptors, songbirds, lizards, and rattlesnakes enjoying the last bit of summer. This western portion of the Crooked River National Grassland is part of a mosaic of public and private lands that Central Oregon LandWatch is working to protect as important wildlife habitat, winter range, and a migration corridor between the Cascades and the Ochocos.

The drive from Bend to the trailhead is about 1 hour, the last few miles of which are on a rough dirt road – high clearance, 4WD strongly recommended. Please volunteer to drive if you have a rig that can handle this.

The approximately 6 mile round-trip hike is moderately to strenuous, with a fair amount of elevation loss on the way out and gain on the way back. The hike can get hot and dusty. Bring: sun sauce, bug sauce, hiking boots, shades, a hat, lunch, and plenty of water.

We will meet in Bend at 9:00am for the carpool. All attendees will be asked to pitch in for gas.

Please note: As is often the case for hikers in this area, we may encounter rattlesnakes on this hike.