Flooding closes or restricts access to sites along Lower Deschutes and John Day Rivers
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
Prineville, Ore. – Varying degrees of flooding have occurred in numerous portions of the Lower Deschutes and John Day Rivers over the past several days. Prineville BLM recreation staff have surveyed as many sites as possible that are accessible by land and have made initial assessments of their status. People planning on recreating in these areas over the next several days should be aware of conditions and make alternate plans as needed. At this point, BLM sites along the Crooked River remain accessible.
BLM will continue to update information on the Prineville District webpage and current site information will be available by calling our office at (541) 416-6700.
The following sites are flooded or partially flooded on the Lower Deschutes River:
Trout Creek: Partially flooded; 2 campsites flooded with water around picnic tables.
Nena: Partially flooded; boat ramp partially flooded with minimal room to turn around. Currently no impact to campsites.
Long Bend: Partially flooded; boat ramp partially flooded but there is still room to turn around. Currently no impact to campsites.
Harpham Flat: Partially flooded; boat ramp partially flooded but there is still room to turn around. Currently no impact to campsites.
Wapinitia: Fully Flooded and three camp sites are under water. Toilets have not been compromised. Cones have been placed at the entrance to prevent access.
Gray Eagle: Partially flooded with minor flooding at the picnic tables.
Lower Blue Hole: Partially flooded with minor flooding around the picnic tables.
Oak Springs: Partially flooded; two campsites flooded with water around the picnic tables.
Sandy Beach: Fully flooded and cones are placed at entrance to prevent access. Toilets aren’t compromised. Public on the river can still exit; however, vehicles will have to back down the road to load boats as there is no turnaround.
Buckhollow: Fully flooded and site is unusable as turnaround space is under water. Cones have been placed at the entrance to prevent access. Toilets are not compromised at this site.
Beavertail: No flooding at this site. However, the boat ramp has debris from flooding around it.
Macks Canyon: Partially flooded with minor flooding at boat ramp. Concrete boat ramp is useable; however, the upstream ramp and parking area are flooded up to the kiosk. Campsites and toilets aren’t compromised.
The following sites are flooded or partially flooded on the John Day River (note roads in area prevented staff from accessing and evaluating some sites):
Monument: The entire Monument site is flooded and the toilet may be compromised.
Big Bend: Unable to access the site to determine its condition.
Lone Pine: Unable to access the site to determine its condition.
Shady Grove: Unable to access the site to determine its condition.
Mule Shoe: The Mule Shoe site is in good condition.
Service Creek: Minor flooding, with one campsite under water. The toilets have not been compromised.
Twickenham: The Twickenham site is in good condition.
Priest Hole: 1 to 2 campsites are fully flooded but the toilet has not been compromised. The access road is hazardous and should be avoided.
Upper Burnt Ranch: This site is fully flooded and a picnic table has been lost.
Lower Burnt Ranch: The Lower Burnt Ranch site is in good condition.
Clarno: Partially flooded. Toilets have not been compromised.
Thirtymile: Unable to access the site to determine its condition.
MacDonald Crossing: Unable to access the site to determine its condition.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.