Take I-5 to Exit 21 Woodland

Head East on Lewis River Rd for 3.5 miles

Turn Left at Butte Hill Rd

Go 1.9 miles on Butte Hull Rd until it becomes a gravel road

Go .7 miles up the gravel road until the parking lot opening at the gate

1) Take I-84 east from Portland to Biggs Junction (exit 104), exit and head south on Hwy 97 to Shaniko.

2) Or you may take Hwy 26 east over Mount Hood. Turn left onto Hwy 216, which will take you to Hwy 197 just west of Maupin. Turn right on Hwy 197 and take it south to it's junction with Hwy 97. Turn left onto Hwy 97 and take it to Shaniko.

At Shaniko, turn south onto Hwy 218 (Shaniko-Fossil Hwy) and continue through Antelope and east towards Clarno near the John Day River. Look for the entrance to Camp Hancock about two miles east of the John Day River. 

Remember: Be cautious of deer or other animals on the roads, particularly around dusk or dawn. Anticipate an hour's drive from Prineville to the site. Roads are paved except for the last four miles, which are gravel, and in good shape.

A) From western Oregon, western Washington & California:

1. Travel east out of Prineville on State Highway #26.
2. Zero your trip meter at the Forest Service Headquarters at the east end of town.
3. Stay on Hwy 26 for approximately 14 miles, then turn right onto the Ochoco Ranger Station Road.
4. Zero your trip meter again and travel 8.4 miles, until you come to a Y in the road just past the Big Summit Ranger Station.
5. At this Y, zero trip meter again, stay right on NFS 42 and go 19 miles to NFS 4240.
6. Turn right onto NFS 4240 and proceed for 2.7 miles
7. Turn right onto NFS 800.
8. Go 1.5 miles west on NFS 800 and you will arrive at Indian Trail Spring.

B) From eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, & other states:
Coming from places east of Indian Trail Spring, there are several options.

1. From the north and east several good paved roads lead eventually to the town of Mitchell along Hwy 26. It is recommended that those coming in from this direction continue west on Hwy 26 to the turnoff for the Ochoco Ranger Station Road and follow the above directions starting at #4.

There are several gravel Forest Service roads that can be taken if one has an Ochoco National Forest map and feels comfortable with navigating back roads. But it is always a good idea to contact the Forest Service to make sure these roads are open. From the southeast, the main roads will take you through Bend and then to Prineville. Hwy 27 is a shortcut available off of Hwy 20 to Prineville, is gravel from Hwy 20 until the Prineville Reservoir where it becomes paved.

Please check the Oregon Department of Transportation web page www.tripcheck.com for up to date road information. The link for Incident Maps will take you to a 9 section grid. The Indian Trail Spring site is in Central Oregon. The site is east of Prineville along Highway 26.

Call if you need additional directions. A good idea is to pick up either a Pittmon's map for Crook County, or a National Forest Service map of the Ochocos for detailed information about the area.

Panorama Shot
Lahar Viewpoint is on the wide barren deposit where the flood of water, mud and stones swept down Pine Creek on May 18, 1980. A short walk to the east brings you to a small hill and the viewpoint, which show the power of mudflows. This area was swept by a lahar within 15 minutes after the onset of the May 18, 1980, eruption. At this point, the speed of the lahar was estimated at about 44 miles per hour. All trees were destroyed by a big lahar caused by melting of snow and ice during the eruption. The eruptive blast was directed towards the North and forests survived on the volcano's South side apart from those areas affected by lahars. Many geologic features are within walking distance of the parking areas. Fragmental material and lava flows from older eruptions of Mount St. Helens and dramatic effects (deposits, scarred and killed trees, mudlines, and stream channel adjustments) of the 1980 eruption are visible here. Walkers can take the short (several hundred yards) trail over bouldery terrain to the east toward a small hill (not ADA accessible). Near here the lahar split, one branch flowing down Pine Creek and the other down the Muddy River gorge. A large, lone tree south of the road is scarred on its upstream side, showing the maximum height of the lahar in this location.

From the west side (Portland, Vancouver, Kelso, etc)

1) Head northbound on I-5 (southbound I-5 if you are north of Woodland)
2) Take exit 21 for State Hwy 503 E toward Woodland/Cougar (0.3 mi)
3) Turn right at Lewis River Rd/WA-503 (31.4 mi)
4) Continue on NFD 90 Rd (1.0 mi)
5) Turn right at NFD 83 Rd (10.5 mi)

 

Poor horizons make anything lower than about 15 or 20 degrees difficult or impossible, but anything over that is fair game. The lowest horizon is to the south, so that's the best horizon viewing from this location.