Self-guided
auto tour
of Harney County (4 hours to all day)
If
you wish to "do it yourself" then this is the tour for
you!
After
visiting the Harney County Historical Museum at 18 West "D"
Street in Burns travel south down Broadway to the intersection of
Highways 78 and 20/395 (this will be the first stop light). Turn east on
Highway 78 and travel 2.1 miles then turn right onto highway 205.
At mileage 26.1 turn left and travel 6 miles to the
Malheur
Wildlife Refuge headquarters.
The Narrows is located at
this junction and offers a delightful respite. The Narrows is a
full-hookup RV facility, showers, laundry facilities, a mini-mart, gift shop,
and an excellent restaurant. They'll even pack you a lunch to take on
your excursion!
While
at the headquarters you can visit the George M. Benson Memorial Museum, which
contains nearly 200 mounted specimens of local birds. Current information on
road conditions, orientation and interpretive exhibits, refuge brochures,
public phones, rest rooms and drinking water are available at the
headquarters. From here, there are two options for your route. Option
#1 has you backtrack to Highway 205 and Option #2
has you turning left and continuing on the road you came in on.
Option
#1
From Refuge Headquarters you can go back to Highway 205 to continue your tour
via all paved roads. At Highway 205, turn left and travel 14.9 miles to the
Buena Vista Overlook. From the overlook, you can see Steens Mountain. Snow
from the Steens provides much of the water for the Blitzen Valley. The ponds
are a key staging area for migrating waterfowl in mid November.
From
the overlook, you will continue on Highway 205 for 1.9 miles to the Diamond
Junction. At the junction turn left onto county road 409 and continue
for 6.8 miles where you can turn left and proceed another two miles to the Diamond
Craters. This area contains cinder cones, pit craters, lava tubes
and lava flows. In the opinion of scientists and educators who have visited
this geologic formation, it has the best and most diverse basaltic volcanic
features in the United States. All are within a comparatively small and
accessible area.
After
viewing the Diamond Craters continue on County Road 409 for another eight miles to
the Pete French Round Barn Historical Sign. At the sign, turn right and
continue 1 mile on dirt road to the Round Barn. After viewing the Round
Barn, continue 13.3 miles to the Diamond Loop Kiosk. About 3/10 of a mile from
the kiosk, the county road meets Highway 78. Turn left onto Highway 78 and
travel 9.5 miles to the Crane Junction. You can continue on Highway 78 for 28
miles to Burns with a stop at
Crystal Crane Hot Springs
(just 3 miles
from the Crane Junction) to enjoy a relaxing soak in one of the private hot
tubs. Cabins, tent camping and RV hookups are available. For more
information call: (541) 493-2312 or take the Crane-Buchanan Road (23 miles) to
Oard's at Buchanan. From
Oard's go west back to Burns or go east to Ontario and beyond.
Top
of Page
Option
#2
When you leave the Refuge Headquarters, you can take the Center Patrol Road
(gravel road) located directly across from the headquarters
entrance. This road takes you through the heart of the
Refuge. Twenty-one miles from headquarters you will reach the
Buena Vista Overlook. (See Option #1 for details)
Continue seven miles on this route to the Krumbo Reservoir
which was created in 1949. Krumbo is a favorite fishing spot and is
equipped with a boat ramp, dock, and fishing platform. Only
non-motorized boats are allowed. The gates to Krumbo Reservoir are open April
15 through October 31.
Just
a few miles further to Benson Pond where the variety of vegetation attracts
many different species of wildlife. This is an excellent location for
viewing waterfowl. You can also see various songbirds and great horned
owls in the cottonwood trees near the pond.
Travel
three miles south from Benson Pond to reach Knox Pond. These ponds
provide essential habitat for nesting birds. Occasionally one pond is
left dry to grow grain for migrating sandhill cranes. In the evenings,
cranes often roost in the shallow areas of the pond.
Continue
south 8 miles to the P Ranch where you can view the Long Barn, beef wheel,
and willow corrals, built in the 1880's. These are all that remain of
the historic P Ranch owned by Peter French. You can walk through the
Long Barn to observe the innovative construction techniques used in building
the structure. A walk along the dike provides excellent opportunities to
see species that use the willow habitat. You can also see the lookout
tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Although the tower
itself is not open to the public, it is a popular place for roosting turkey
vultures in the summer.
The P Ranch
is at the base of the
Steens Mountain and just
two
miles from Frenchglen and the historic
Frenchglen
Hotel. The hotel was originally constructed in 1916, and while
it has changed due to a significant addition by the Civilian
Conservation Corps in the 1930's, it remains a haven for travelers to this
day. Breakfast is served from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from
11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.. The family style dinner is by reservation only
and is served promptly at 6:30 p.m. If you plan to spend a night or two,
reservations are recommended as the hotel fills quickly. The hotel is
open from March 15 to November 15. Call (541) 493-2825 for reservations.
Accommodations are also available at Drover's Inn located in Frenchglen, just
behind the Frenchglen Hotel. Each of the four air-conditioned units have
one queen bed and private bath. Meals can be obtained at the nearby
Frenchglen Hotel. Call (541) 493-2204 for reservations.
If
you've brought a tent, RV. or would like to stay in a modular-type heated and
air-conditioned cabin, you will enjoy staying at the
Steens Mountain RV
Resort located just one mile east of the P Ranch. You can obtain
fishing and hunting licenses, ice, propane, some groceries, pop, beer, and
wine at the Steens Mountain RV
Resort. They also have complete laundry and
shower facilities. Call (541) 493-2415 or (800) 542-3765.
Steens Mountain, reaching an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, is rich in
history, natural beauty, and resources. Scenic points of interest on the
Steens, accessible from the loop road, include Kiger Gorge Overlook, Little
Blitzen Gorge, East Rim Overlook, Wildhorse Lake, and Big Indian Gorge. Page
Springs, Fish Lake and Jackman Park along with the new South Steens Campground
offer a variety of camping sites. The South Steens Campground also has
15 equestrian camp sites. The Steens Loop Road is a 56 mile gravel road.
This road may not be suitable for all types of vehicles due to some rough,
rocky places & steep, narrow stretches. It is not recommended for
motor homes, trailers, and cars with low clearance. For more information
contact the BLM at (541) 573-4400.
If
you want to spend overnight or a few days in the area but would like a few
more amenities, you will definitely want to reserve a room at the
Hotel Diamond. From Frenchglen you will travel
north 18 miles to the Diamond Junction. Turn right at the junction and
travel seven miles. While in Diamond visit the
Pete French Round Barn
and the Round Barn Visitor's Center and Diamond Craters.
Hotel
Diamond has been carefully renovated to give old-fashioned ambiance without
giving up modern convenience. Start your day with a deluxe continental
breakfast. Gretchen, Shirley and David, your hosts, serve abundant
home-style meals. You will enjoy dining with other guests who share
similar interests. At the end of a day spent exploring the region,
enjoy a full meal, then relax on the screened veranda with a glass of wine
or cup of coffee and listen to the night sounds before you retire to your
comfortable room. Each room (the 3 bedrooms downstairs with queen beds
and private baths, and the 5 bedrooms upstairs sharing 2 baths ) is
decorated with ranch-style furnishings, quilts, photographs and
art. For more information call (541) 493-1898.
The
Hotel Diamond and McCoy Creek Inn are both centrally located for birding on
the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, touring Diamond Craters, the Pete French
Round Barn, Kiger
Mustang Overlook or Steens Mountain and trout fishing on the Blitzen
River.
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