9 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain • 1 night
I visited two different spots on the west side of the Deschutes River. First I parked at the Heritage Boat Ramp and walked upriver on the Rockpile Trail. I went up about 2 miles and stopped to sketch and relax in my chair. I had gone well past the trail end line on my map, not sure how long it continues.
I then had to do some driving to get to my next spot-Freebridge! I took the Fifteen Mile Creek road to get there. When the road starts to drop down into the river canyon, there is a gate and a sign warning of primitive narrow conditions. I parked at a safe flat spot and walked down. Very pleasant. I had to walk on the RR tracks for a bit to get upstream to my camp. Didnt see any other humans. Enjoyed watching the sheep on the hillside across the river from my camp.
