The Mouth of the Deschutes River: West Bank
The mouth of the Deschutes River is a popular place for fishermen, both those in drift boats or those who stalk the shores, and it is the hauling out point for the many rafters who float the Deschutes during warmer weather. For those who like plants, it provides about nine months of botanizing during most years (especially the wetter ones) with early bloom starting in late February with grass widows and salt and pepper and continuing until late October as the sagebrush and rabbitbrush commence their show. I've seen as many as 30-40 species in bloom in mid to late October in the vicinity, and interestingly enough, some of them are plants that bloomed earlier in the spring.
Eastbound: Take Interstate 84 east of The Dalles and take the Celilo Exit (Exit #97). Turn right and immediately left onto Highway 206. There are several places along this stretch of highway to view wildflowers. Have a passenger watch the slopes to the south of the roadway for bloom, stopping safely as needed. Examples of wildflowers to see along this stretch include white sand-verbena (Abronia mellifera), veiny dock (Rumex venosus), hoary aster (Machaeranthera canescens), and rigid sagebrush (Artemisia rigida). Continue along Highway 206 until reaching the mouth of the Deschutes River. Turn right into Heritage Park, which during peak fishing times will be jammed with cars, boats and people.
Westbound: Drive west on I-84 from Arlington, OR and points east, exiting at Biggs Junction (Exit 104). US Highway 97 crosses the Columbia River at this point, so those coming from the north or south may approach Biggs Junction via those highways. Turn west onto the old highway and proceed west, past the junction of Highway 206 (which can lead to another interesting as well as scenic gorge vista at Gordon Ridge). The mouth of the Deschutes River is several miles west of this junction. Cross the river and turn left into Heritage Park.
After entering Heritage Park, either park in the initial parking area on the right or proceed upriver a quarter mile or so, past the rest rooms and boat launching area to a smaller parking area on the left, just as the road turns uphill.
Park and proceed through the fence to the sandy flats which extend upstream for a quarter mile. These will be largely flooded during the spring and early summer, but will be exposed later in the season to reveal a wide range of riparian plants. The sandy slopes, although disturbed have a number of species that may be viewed either in the spring or late summer. See the plant lists below for information on plant species to be seen here.
Several fisherman's trails meander upstream along the river, the number of trails depending on the height of water. They eventually merge to form one trail at river's edge. I haven't been far upstream along this trail so I can't comment on what might be seen around the bend, though I'm hearing one can travel up to 2 miles upstream before the trail either disappears or is inundated by blackberry vines.
In terms of etiquette, remember that this is a heavily fished area. I always find it funny that some of the fishermen get nervous as I'm poking around the shore with my GPS and writing notes in a notebook. For some reason or other they seem to think I'm a wildlife officer.........maybe they've caught too many fish? For your safety, so someone's fly doesn't hook you, it's best to stay a reasonable distance from those actively fishing. There's usually many places to access the shoreline for a peek at the plant life!
October 12, 2011: Heritage Park, the west bank of the Deschutes River just upstream from its mouth.
July 27, 2011: West Bank of the Deschutes River (upstream from Heritage Park)
September 1, 2007 - Mouth of the Deschutes River (west bank above Heritage Park)
September 15, 2001- Mouth of the Deschutes River & OR Highway 206 near M.P. 1.1
August 26, 2001- Mouth of the Deschutes River
July 27, 2001- Mouth of the Deschutes River (west bank above Heritage Park)
August 27, 2000 Mouth of the Deschutes River (west bank above Heritage Park)