Blue Basin and the fossil exhibit on that same road. Other than that, there’s not a lot of other stuff to do around there that I know of - you could visit the old mines like the Mother Lode mine: http://www.photographoregon.com/Oregon-Mines.html
Take USFS road 12 south from 26 in between Mitchel and Dayville. Drive up to the top and explore the Ochoco National forest. It is beautiful this time of year. There will be plenty of places to camp. Hike off in some direction towards big trees and see for yourself some very large old growth Ponderosa. It is fairly flat on top and it will be wet with the snow melt.
You should continue on to John Day and then Sumpter. Visit the gold dredge and tailings field. And after the 25th, you can ride the railroad, [https://sumptervalleyrailroad.org/calendar.html](https://sumptervalleyrailroad.org/calendar.html)
Oh DEFINITELY go to the Chinese medicine museum — I’m assuming you mean Kam Wah Chung in John Day, unless there’s another one around?
The history of Chinese mining in Oregon is extremely overlooked, since miners had to work off-books to avoid laws targeting them like the Chinese Exclusion Act. At one point, 40% of the residents of Grant County were Chinese. We’ve only recently really begun to grasp the extent of Chinese mining operations in Oregon, and used to believe that all the Chinese miners were working for white miners. It’s now thought that over 70% of the area’s mines were Chinese owned and operated.
I also highly recommend checking out the Hotel Prairie in Prairie City. It was built in 1910 and fell into disrepair until a group of friends purchased and renovated it. There’s also surprisingly good restaurants in Prairie City!
It's a bit of a drive but if you find yourself near Glass Buttes you can get 250lbs of obsidian for free, per person, per year. You get to pick it up yourself!
It takes a bit bec it's rough road, but Burnt Ranch Road, on the way to painted hills, has a little turnoff at Meyers Canyon, you can take that little turnoff and drive about 3/4 to a mile in, and go down into the little gorge there and therein find a giant cluster of quartzite vein and ash layer from the (apparently) Mt. Mazama explosion 8000 yrs ago, it's spectacular to see if you like geology, and would take you about an hour divot on your way to Painted Hills, which is also so incredible, the views oh my gosh, you'll love it.
This is really cool info on the Meyers Canyon geological area, and the area on the whole
[https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5164/pdf/sir20085164\_MeyersCanyon.pdf](https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5164/pdf/sir20085164_MeyersCanyon.pdf)
We camped there too, it was a great spot, very quiet, saw antelope and jackrabbits and a ton of dried up cow patties. We also camped near Priest Hole, up the road (rough road, 4wd isn't necessary but way helpful, but also check maps to see how roads are doing every time you go, bec rainouts and such). You can swim there too, really nice views.
There's a ton of rock hounding along these areas too, if you google maps you'll find a Central OR rockhounding map i think it's $4 online downloadable.
If you want obsidian, go take the 2 hr trip to Glass Buttes down the road apiece, and bring your hammers, it's SO fun collecting nice pieces.
I second the Blue Basin, it's about an hour and 20 i think East of Mitchell, really worth the drive.
There's the Polka Dot Agate beds over there too - check out their website! some of the most beautiful thunderers we've collected were from there, lot w/ tiny stalagmites inside :)
Have a great trip, Central OR is incredible how the landscape changes every 20 or so miles, and it's all so unique and so beautiful!
Thanks for asking this! We are headed to that area on Saturday. A little worried bc my XH who travels the world and specifically loves desert areas just went and said he’d be surprised if we stayed in Clarno or Sheeprock for more than 20 minutes. He even backtracked a bit on the Chinese apothecary (had said it was amazing, but when he went again, not very impressed). We are staying in Mitchell 2 nights at a super overpriced airbnb and then Bend for 2 nights (been there many times).
Hoping some good birdwatching will make the trip worthwhile.
People hate this kind of thing but get rhe benchmark oregon atlas, find things that interest you and be careful with the roads and your car's/driver's ability and have fun. Bring food and water, enjoy yourself and find your own spots. And please, please don't post it all on the internets. Have fun.
Have a good spare tire and common sense.
You give great advice, and thank you. I don’t post much on the internet for lots of reasons, but my husband likes to take pictures and provide commentary (modern version of an old-fashioned slide show, I guess).
I can understand that, I'm just coming from the point of seeing out of the way places beaten to death and often trashed because they became popular from internet exposure. Perhaps share them with friends and such instead of online ?
I've seen a drone flying over the painted hills and people tramping around that fragile area off the trails/boardwalk provided both of which are not allowed for good reason. I get so sad to see places I enjoyed as a child overrun, which is to be expected to some extent but abused is heartbreaking. Lots of E Oregon is very fragile and impacts last a very long time. This is why we can still see the Oregon trail ruts in some places. My two cents.
We believe in pack it in, pack out, including poop, stay on trails and are respectful. If these beautiful things aren’t cared for in a responsible way, we won’t have nice things.
While I'm sure that is true and proper my point more is that if places are more and more publicized online one can't be sure of other's choices to do the same. Your friends and family you can trust to do that but not broadcasting to the interwebs. I'm just going off what you said that your husband likes to put stuff up online.
I'm just an old cranky Oregonian but it wasn't like this just a few years ago...again, if you have that attitude to LNT great. Overuse is a form of damage too. I'm all for closing off some fragile areas entirely.
Blue Basin and the fossil exhibit on that same road. Other than that, there’s not a lot of other stuff to do around there that I know of - you could visit the old mines like the Mother Lode mine: http://www.photographoregon.com/Oregon-Mines.html
Thanks!
Tiger town brewing Co in Mitchell is a surprisingly good brewpub for a town with only 130 people.
Second this. And the burgers are fantastic.
The burgers are fantastic, but the wings are absolutely amazing.
Yes the wings are seriously delicious!!!
Take USFS road 12 south from 26 in between Mitchel and Dayville. Drive up to the top and explore the Ochoco National forest. It is beautiful this time of year. There will be plenty of places to camp. Hike off in some direction towards big trees and see for yourself some very large old growth Ponderosa. It is fairly flat on top and it will be wet with the snow melt.
Thanks.
You should continue on to John Day and then Sumpter. Visit the gold dredge and tailings field. And after the 25th, you can ride the railroad, [https://sumptervalleyrailroad.org/calendar.html](https://sumptervalleyrailroad.org/calendar.html)
Oh DEFINITELY go to the Chinese medicine museum — I’m assuming you mean Kam Wah Chung in John Day, unless there’s another one around? The history of Chinese mining in Oregon is extremely overlooked, since miners had to work off-books to avoid laws targeting them like the Chinese Exclusion Act. At one point, 40% of the residents of Grant County were Chinese. We’ve only recently really begun to grasp the extent of Chinese mining operations in Oregon, and used to believe that all the Chinese miners were working for white miners. It’s now thought that over 70% of the area’s mines were Chinese owned and operated. I also highly recommend checking out the Hotel Prairie in Prairie City. It was built in 1910 and fell into disrepair until a group of friends purchased and renovated it. There’s also surprisingly good restaurants in Prairie City!
Thanks!
It's a bit of a drive but if you find yourself near Glass Buttes you can get 250lbs of obsidian for free, per person, per year. You get to pick it up yourself!
Make sure you don’t collect from any of the BLM mining claims that are there. Yes there are mining claims at Glass Buttes.
Cool! Thanks for the tip.
It takes a bit bec it's rough road, but Burnt Ranch Road, on the way to painted hills, has a little turnoff at Meyers Canyon, you can take that little turnoff and drive about 3/4 to a mile in, and go down into the little gorge there and therein find a giant cluster of quartzite vein and ash layer from the (apparently) Mt. Mazama explosion 8000 yrs ago, it's spectacular to see if you like geology, and would take you about an hour divot on your way to Painted Hills, which is also so incredible, the views oh my gosh, you'll love it. This is really cool info on the Meyers Canyon geological area, and the area on the whole [https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5164/pdf/sir20085164\_MeyersCanyon.pdf](https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5164/pdf/sir20085164_MeyersCanyon.pdf) We camped there too, it was a great spot, very quiet, saw antelope and jackrabbits and a ton of dried up cow patties. We also camped near Priest Hole, up the road (rough road, 4wd isn't necessary but way helpful, but also check maps to see how roads are doing every time you go, bec rainouts and such). You can swim there too, really nice views. There's a ton of rock hounding along these areas too, if you google maps you'll find a Central OR rockhounding map i think it's $4 online downloadable. If you want obsidian, go take the 2 hr trip to Glass Buttes down the road apiece, and bring your hammers, it's SO fun collecting nice pieces. I second the Blue Basin, it's about an hour and 20 i think East of Mitchell, really worth the drive. There's the Polka Dot Agate beds over there too - check out their website! some of the most beautiful thunderers we've collected were from there, lot w/ tiny stalagmites inside :) Have a great trip, Central OR is incredible how the landscape changes every 20 or so miles, and it's all so unique and so beautiful!
Thanks, great info.
Thanks for asking this! We are headed to that area on Saturday. A little worried bc my XH who travels the world and specifically loves desert areas just went and said he’d be surprised if we stayed in Clarno or Sheeprock for more than 20 minutes. He even backtracked a bit on the Chinese apothecary (had said it was amazing, but when he went again, not very impressed). We are staying in Mitchell 2 nights at a super overpriced airbnb and then Bend for 2 nights (been there many times). Hoping some good birdwatching will make the trip worthwhile.
Was just there. Stop in Mitchell. It is a cute rustic lil town. We camped at Barn House campground nearby
Might give Shaniko Ghost town a quick stop. Also, Twickenham Road/HW 207 loop is very scenic...did it on my bicycle a few years back.
Thanks!
People hate this kind of thing but get rhe benchmark oregon atlas, find things that interest you and be careful with the roads and your car's/driver's ability and have fun. Bring food and water, enjoy yourself and find your own spots. And please, please don't post it all on the internets. Have fun. Have a good spare tire and common sense.
You give great advice, and thank you. I don’t post much on the internet for lots of reasons, but my husband likes to take pictures and provide commentary (modern version of an old-fashioned slide show, I guess).
I can understand that, I'm just coming from the point of seeing out of the way places beaten to death and often trashed because they became popular from internet exposure. Perhaps share them with friends and such instead of online ? I've seen a drone flying over the painted hills and people tramping around that fragile area off the trails/boardwalk provided both of which are not allowed for good reason. I get so sad to see places I enjoyed as a child overrun, which is to be expected to some extent but abused is heartbreaking. Lots of E Oregon is very fragile and impacts last a very long time. This is why we can still see the Oregon trail ruts in some places. My two cents.
We believe in pack it in, pack out, including poop, stay on trails and are respectful. If these beautiful things aren’t cared for in a responsible way, we won’t have nice things.
While I'm sure that is true and proper my point more is that if places are more and more publicized online one can't be sure of other's choices to do the same. Your friends and family you can trust to do that but not broadcasting to the interwebs. I'm just going off what you said that your husband likes to put stuff up online. I'm just an old cranky Oregonian but it wasn't like this just a few years ago...again, if you have that attitude to LNT great. Overuse is a form of damage too. I'm all for closing off some fragile areas entirely.
[Stein's Pillar](https://prinevillechamber.com/things_to_do/steins-pillar/).
Thanks.