Warm Springs Indian Reservation

while this has grown as a small town, it still feels like this place is missing … what a travesty we have done to the american indian.

If you’re heading south to Cali, Crater Lake, Bend, or beyond, the route through Warm Springs Indian Reservation is a must-​do. This is one of my favorite «long» drives ever, and I get to do it fairly often as I head to the environs of Mt. Bachelor to visit my multitude of siblings in the high desert of Central Oregon. Warm Springs Indian Reservation greets me with dense conifers at the 45^th parallel as I descend the flanks of Mt. Hood. I gradually wind my way into open rangeland and the scent in the air transforms from evergreen to juniper and sage. Evidence of past wildfires makes itself immediately apparant; it is here that a huge one jumped the road, and left a wasteland of blackened stumps in its path. Before I have the chance to get bored by the seemingly never ending open range, I am met with spectacular canyons, carved for eons by water that seems much less prominent now than it once was. The temperatures rise precipitously here in summer; when my skin gets damp with sweat, I know I have arrived. In a hurry to get to my final destination, I rush past the Warm Springs Indian Museum, but I am told by friends that it is worth making a stop for – at least once, if not more. In the deepest part of the valley, the Deschutes River rises up to meet the road with fly fishing riffles and small rapids made for a fun float down river. The spectacular scenery isn’t over; as my little car chugs back up out of the canyon, I eagerly anticipate the views to come: of Black Butte, Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Broken Top, Mt. Bachelor, and Smith Rock. For all these reasons and more, I love this drive and feel that it is something everyone would be thankful to see in their lifetime. The high desert may not be for you, but you cannot deny the grandeur of this awesome display of nature.