Sherman County: Rolling Hills and a Sportsman’s Paradise
Explore Cottonwood Canyon State Park and experience center
Oregon’s second-largest state park is also one of its newest. Comprising some 8,000 acres straddling the lower John Day River canyon, Cottonwood boasts abundant wildlife, making this a destination for hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts. Opened in 2018 is the 1,500 square foot Experience Center, which serves as a classroom for outdoor education as well as an event space. The Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute is a weeklong residential field study course for high school students held onsite each summer.
SHERMAN COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM
With more than 15,000 artifacts, centuries of history are represented at this museum. Topics range from Native Americans to Oregon Trail pioneers and dry-land wheat farming to conservation. Military units and patriotic efforts are also paid homage.
world class fishing
This beautiful landscape offers many waterways perfect to get out and fish. From bass fishing on the John Day River to steelhead fishing on the Deschutes River to salmon on the Columbia River, there are plenty of reasons to take advantage of world class fishing in Sherman County.
cycle the Wasco Loop
The Wasco Loop offers the best of all cycling disciplines, combining gravel roads, pavement and trails. The 60-mile ride kisses the rim of the Deschutes River above Macks Canyon, where railroad barons once waged an epic construction competition to be the first line to Bend and its wealth of timber. The ride then heads east toward McDonald Ferry, where pioneers on the Oregon Trail forded the John Day River. In between, you’ll find the historic town of Wasco. This is the center of Oregon’s wind energy boom, where turbine blades rotating on nearby hills form a dramatic backdrop to the rolling wheat fields.