Above Macks Canyon, lower Deschutes River, Oregon - Always Ants
Join me for a few minutes of griping about the difficult time I had out on the lower Deschutes River, as I overlook Macks Canyon and its so-named campground in Oregon in May 2022.
This difficult-to-reach camp requires a 17+ mile jarring washboarded gravel road through active rockslides just to get there. Once there, you'll find that the difficulty in getting there, exhorbitant higher fees on weekends, lack of water, lack of garbage service, and lack of a cell signal, are no deterrents, and the very busy and rather unruly campground and trailhead feel more commercial than wild. The noisy, disruptive, and rule-averse boaters and river "guides" only make it worse.
This is also the unmarked, signless start of the Deschutes River Trail, a rail-to-trail path that is unmaintained in any way for this upper section. My first attempt at a 5k run on it took 42 minutes due to the slippery, rocky, technical terrain.
I did make it 32 minutes the next try, and even slipped in a few 4-milers back up the gravel access road just to have level ground under me. The trail did not beat me, and of course even in my 10-year-old sandals I suffered no injury whatsoever.
Other campers and trail users were far, far less than respectful, and with little oversight and no host, most visitors catch on quickly that they can do what they please with zero consequences.
I could have had a worse time there, but certainly could have had a much, much better one. I know it's in part up to me how good a time I have, but we all must do our part to not take away from anyone else's nature or wilderness experience with noise, disruption, or unpleasantness.