Scott Staats
It’s a beautiful morning – a crisp, clear morning.
Birds are singing in the tall Ponderosas and I can hear the unmistakable jack-hammering sound of a pileated woodpecker echoing through the forest somewhere in the distance.
To my left is a rarity that not many get to see – the birth of a river. While most rivers usually have their beginnings from small springs that turn into small streams that turn into larger streams and finally form a river, the Metolius skips that process and boils out of the ground as a full-blown river.
Directly ahead and to the north is the towering, snow-covered peak of Mount Jefferson. At 10,497 feet, it’s the second tallest mountain in Oregon after Mount Hood. Fve glaciers cling to its steep slopes.
On the way to Camp Sherman, be sure to stop at the Head of the Metolius to view this spectacle. A short walk from the parking lot takes visitors to the huge springs at the base of Black Butte. There’s a viewing area and benches so if you sit for a while you’ll probably get to see some of the birds that also visit the springs and river.
The Metolius River may run through Camp Sherman but all recreational activity funnels through the Camp Sherman Store. The store is literally and figuratively the main hub of the small town and general area.
I’ve driven through Camp Sherman many times while visiting the area, but never realized the store had a cabin to rent. My wife and I stayed there recently and enjoyed a fun weekend of hiking, sightseeing and relaxing. There’s nothing like getting done with a hike and not having to drive an hour or more to get home.
The Camp Sherman Store Cabin is advertised as Camp Sherman’s “best kept lodging secret” and I’d have to agree. The cabin was built around the same time as the store (about 1918) and although it retains that rustic feeling that I like with cabins, it has all the modern conveniences for a comfortable stay.
Roger and Kathy White have owned the store and cabin for the past 19 years.
“The people in the community are friendly and everything about this place is great,” said Kathy. “We’re close to town and not isolated, like everybody thinks. We actually have running water,” she joked.
The official population of Camp Sherman is around 250 but Roger said he wondered if they were counting birds as well. He said they live in a unique area, with the Cascades just to the west, Green Ridge to the east, Black Butte to the south and of course there’s the river that’s literally less than a stone’s throw from their doorstep.
According to the Whites, people have been coming to the area since the late 1800s from Sherman County. They’d set up camps along the river and go fishing and hunting. Eventually, there was a need for a store, the first one being nothing more than a big tent in 1915 where today’s store is located. The next year the tent had a floor. Then a wooden structure was built but burned down in 1917. In 1918 they built the store you see now.
The house that connects to the store was built in 1922. The post office was added on in the late 1970s.
The store has just about everything you can think of including a fly shop, deli, supplies, gas, gifts and more. You can start your day with a hot chocolate or latte and then there are breakfast treats (scones hot from the oven on weekend mornings), burgers, sandwiches, salads and much more. Their sandwiches are literally piled high with fresh meats, cheeses and veggies.
“We like to say we specialize in what you forgot or ran out of,” said Roger. “Tent pegs are a big seller in August,” he said with a laugh.
One morning we got up and hiked from our cabin downriver along the East Metolius Trail to Allingham Bridge and back up on the opposite side of the river. Along the way we watched three white-headed woodpeckers chasing each other around. I also saw my first rufous hummingbird of the year.
There are about six resorts in the Camp Sherman area. We’ve stayed at Lake Creek Lodge a few times in the past and decided to go have dinner there one night. Chef Nate served up one of the best prime rib dinners I’ve ever had and the chocolate lava cake was unforgettable.
There are many other hiking opportunities in the Camp Sherman area. One of my favorites is the Metolius River Trail from Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery up to Canyon Creek, a five-mile round trip. Be sure to have a pocket full of quarters to feed the fish.
The crystal clear Metolius River turns a beautiful aquamarine or turquoise blue in the deeper holes where the river drops over bedrock shelves such as near the bridge. The trail begins at the hatchery parking lot and heads upriver, passing through old growth Douglas fir, ponderosa pine and cedar. Osprey nests can be seen in the tops of snags along the river. Canada geese and dippers are the most common sight on rocks and islands.
About a quarter mile before reaching Lower Canyon Creek Campground, a series of large springs flow into the river from the opposite bank. These springs drain the western slopes of Green Ridge. It’s easy to see why parts of the Metolius are managed under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
From the springs, it’s a short walk up to the confluence of Canyon Creek and the campground. The river is very deep and narrow below where the creek empties in and I can just picture Native Americans standing there on the boulders hundreds of years ago spearing or netting salmon.
The native word for the river was “Mpto-ly-as,” meaning whitefish, spawning salmon or stinking fish. This probably relates to spawned-out salmon that get a white fungus on them before dying.
Another hiking option is to walk downriver from the hatchery to Lower Bridge. It’s possible to walk down one side of the river and back the other, making a six-mile loop. The trail skirts some private property about halfway down on both sides of the river, but overall it is a beautiful, tranquil stretch.
It’s also possible to hike downriver from Lower Bridge one and a half miles to Candle Creek Campground on the West Metolius Trail.
However you decide to spend time in Camp Sherman or along the Metolius River you won’t be disappointed.
“We always say it’s a little touch of magic down here,” said Kathy.
Scott Staats is a full-time outdoor writer who lives in Prineville. Contact him by e-mail at [email protected]. Please put “For Scott Staats” on the subject line.