Funhog placed Crooked River Ranch Letterbox #3 on Sept. 2 in Jefferson
County, Terrebonne, Oregon. This is not a hike for small children or
people unsure of their footing. The first 75 yards of the trail are
down a cliff with loose dirt and rocks. The rest is no problem. Be sure
to take water as the return trip can be a scorcher. And don't forget
about rattlesnakes! It takes about 45 minutes to the letterbox and a bit
longer coming back up out of the canyon.
To the trailhead:
Just north of Terrebonne on Hwy 97, turn west on Lower Bridge Rd. There
is a highway sign for Crooked River Ranch at this intersection. Follow
the signs on to the Ranch. Once you have made a 90 degree left turn you
will be on Chinook Ave. From this point follow the signs to the Golf
Course. Park here and look for the Ranch Chapel. Just to the left of
this building is a gravel path to the public basketball court. From the
far right corner of the court, take the path at 100 degrees (magnetic)
to the canyon rim.
To the letterbox:
At this point take the dirt trail at 140 degrees down to an old road bed
called Hollywood Road. This was built by a film crew in the 50s who
were making a B grade western starring Kirk Douglas. Picture a Conestoga
wagon being lowered with ropes and a human dummy being thrown over the
rim of the canyon, both parts of this work of art. Go left on this road
down into the Crooked River Canyon. You will pass an old dilapidated
water gate. The first spring you come to will be in a clump of trees
coming out of a pipe at ground level to the right of the trail. This is
good drinking water. The trail becomes faint at times beyond this point
and you will have to bushwack through three willow thickets. Keep going
to the next spring that looks like a 30 foot tall wedding cake frosted
with moss and dripping with cool water. At his point you will need to
backtrack on the trail to a row of four smooth barked trees on the
right. Look for I love Kenny scratched into the bark. Walk 35 paces to
a small juniper tree shaped like a candelabra. You should be standing on
a small pile of stones with a pile of orange rocks to your right and
white rocks to your left. Across the river at 333 degrees you will see
an old wooden ladder going up the cliff face. In front of the juniper is
a clump of sagebrush. The letterbox is hidden under the rock nestled in
the sage, marked by a stick. Having found this box dont fail to go past
the wedding cake spring to the end of the trail. The wall is gushing
with dozens of springs and is an amazing sight. Happy Trails, Funhog