Exploring the Lower Metolius

Exploring the Lower Metolius River didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting. In its entirety it is more of an expedition than I was willing to undertake in a day.

There are two ways you can begin this adventure. You can hike the road, which is sometimes a fair distance from the river; or you can beat the brush along the river's edge.

According to most maps, there is a distinct 12-mile trail all the way from Bridge 99 at Lower Bridge Campground to Monty Campground just above Lake Billy Chinook where the river empties into the Metolius Arm. The trail deteriorates to a faint path through dense undergrowth barely two miles into this trip, and we called it a day not much beyond three miles. Apparently, the trail represented on the map is mostly the old road system.

Forty years ago, roads from both ends of this trip would permit an old Jeep to travel all but the northernmost two miles of the big incursion that the Metolius carves into the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Congressional designation of the Lower Metolius as a "Wild and Scenic River," however, has severely limited access to the area.

Some of this road system is still in use, but it is now gated; and access is granted only by Forest Service personnel and the owners of a small private enclave about seven miles in. After fighting our way downstream through the brush, we elected to hike the road back to Bridge 99. It took about a third of the time as our outbound trek.

It's perfectly permissible to hike or bike the road, even though it's closed to motor traffic. I talked to two people who have taken mountain bikes down the road, one for eight miles, and the other all the way to Monty. Reportedly, it's pretty good biking all the way except for a few dicey spots in the northernmost area that was not part of the road system.

While I certainly can't really recommend this 24-mile round-trip as a day hike, I can say that a brief sortie like we took is worth the effort. The aspect of the river in this area is very different from the Metolius that most of us know.

First of all, less than a mile below Bridge 99 is the Indian reservation. We tend to think of Warm Springs as a distant entity up somewhere north of Madras. In reality, the reservation is our close neighbor right here in our own backyard.

At Candle Creek Campground, below the bridge on the west side of the river, the reservation is only a stone's throw away across Jefferson Creek. From Jefferson Creek on, the opposite bank on the west side of the river is all reservation land.

Another point of interest is the growing force and volume of a river that we tend to think of in terms of the relatively placid stream flowing through Camp Sherman. The farther you go downstream, the bigger it gets. And it gets really big!

Below Bridge 99, the river is bolstered by flows from Abbott, Candle, Walker, Sheep, Code, Camp, Racing and Rainy Creeks; and just where the north-flowing Metolius turns south, it is joined by the Whitewater River. As I said, the farther you go, the bigger it gets; and it's actually startling to see just how much water there is and how fast it's moving.

For those thinking of taking watercraft down this powerful stretch of water, there are posted warnings of multiple shore-to-shore log blockades. They don't call it wild for nothing; and, oh boy, is it scenic. In the heat of summer, this is also an excellent place to find a hike in the shade along the cool flowing waters of the Metolius.

In the first mile below Bridge 99, we encountered several fisherman who had walked in on the road from the locked gate. Whitefish and bull trout are common in this part of the river. Unlike the Upper Metolius, which is closed to all but barbless fly fishing, lures and barbed hooks are permitted below Bridge 99. Bait, however, has been prohibited for many years now; and the entire river is catch and release for ALL fish.

To experience a taste of the bigger, wilder Metolius River, take Highway 20 about nine miles west of Sisters and turn right (north) toward Camp Sherman and follow the paved road about 13 miles either through or around Camp Sherman to Lower Bridge Campground at Bridge 99. A road to the right will take you about 200 yards beyond the campground before the gate is encountered. Otherwise, begin your hike by walking through the campground along the east bank of the river.