Get a taste of adventure on Oregon’s spell-binding Lower Deschutes River Back Country Byway. Start by making Maupin, the byway’s biggest city, your home base. From here, you can access both the north and south branches of the byway. In addition to grocery stores, gas stations, and gift shops, where you can find all the provisions you might need for your day on the road, Maupin also offers small-town hospitality and simplicity.
Don’t forget to pack your fishing pole! Catch steel head, rainbow trout, salmon, as well as other types of fish at the many prime fishing spots along the Lower Deschutes River which runs along the byway. Fly fishers are regulars in this part of the world, and who can blame them? The Lower Deschutes River is a perfect way to get away from the world and experience nature at its finest.
In the mood for excitement? After exploring the byway, try rafting on the Deschutes River. There are numerous rafting companies in the town of Maupin where you will begin your byway adventure. The Lower Deschutes is a rafter’s paradise, which alternates between quiet, serene fishing spots and wild Class III-IV rapids. Before leaving Maupin, join a local rafting group and soon you’ll be careening down the river. While out there, take a look around and absorb the pristine Oregon landscape, filled with high desert flora such as juniper trees and the impressive sight of Mt. Hood in the distance. The highest point of Mt. Hood is covered just slightly with a layer of snow year-round.
If white-knuckle rafting isn’t your idea of fun, try hiking the Oregon National Historic Trail. Starting in Missouri, the Oregon Trail runs through five states and goes right through the byway along with State Road 206, about 10 minutes north of Maupin. Originally used in the mid to late 1800s, the Oregon Trail is now a premier hiking trail dotted with 125 historic spots. With over 300 miles of wagon tracks, the Oregon Trail is easy to follow and great to hike.
With its small-town hospitality, great fishing spots, historic trails and adrenaline-pumping whitewater rafting, the Lower Deschutes River Back Country Byway is a great vacation spot for any nature enthusiast.
