Bottom Line:
Cottonwood Canyon is a beautiful dark-sky spot for star viewing, and has trails on either side of the John Day River; John Day National Monument is dotted with pinnacles that one can hike up the hill and explore close up (see video); the next "Star Party" at Cottonwood is 9/24 (see link below)
Stats:
- Distance: ~5 miles
- Duration: 3 hours
- Weather: Sunny, hot, some smoke haze, breezy in Cottonwood Canyon
- Road/Parking: Cottonwood Canyon State Park has plenty of parking, and is a short distance southwest of the Hwy 97 crossing at The Gorge; Oregon State Park parking pass required for day visitors; there are 4 wonderful cabins and a medium-sized campground; facilities are new and modern, including solar powered device chargers on all the picnic tables (!), showers, new cabins, water dispensers, etc.; John Day is reached along the Journey Through Time Scenic Byway and parking is more limited, but plenty of spots; America The Beautiful or equivalent parking pass required
- Trail: We hiked the "Pinnacles Trail" at Cottonwood that takes one east along the John Day river (number of folks fishing) and a beautiful stretch of basalt cliffs; the trail is also open to bikes; it is seasonally closed ~3 miles for a Golden Eagle nesting site; entomologists were on the trail collecting late-season bee specimens for a study; the trail at John Day starts with distant views and then climbs up the base of a series of pinnacles, with lots of information boards calling out fossils from a previous tropical era, and a small arch visible within one collection of pinnacles (see video); CAUTION: rattlesnakes are a concern in both locations and there are ample signs suggesting caution
- Flora/Fauna: Cottonwood has big horn sheep (only visible at a distance), mule deer (around the campground at night), pronghorn (which we did not see - next time), lizards, flowers and tall grass; CAUTION: ticks
Attached is a short video showing some of the views from these two trails.
The John Day National Monument is spread out across multiple units; this report from earlier this summer was from the spectacular Painted Hills unit.
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