An Adventureful Life

• Leslie Gulch
• The Lodge at Hot Springs Lake
• Alvord Desert Hot Springs
• Painted Hills
• Smith Rock State Park

An east coast friend sent me a TikTok with a drone video of Leslie Gulch, which has been on my bucket list for awhile… after comparing busy summer schedules, we decided to take a chance and plan for a spring road-trip. Spring can be risky because while it’s usually pretty dry in Eastern Oregon, you do not want to be caught out there in any infrequent rain, or when the snow is thawing. We kept an eye on the weather and made a couple contingency plans which ended up working out great!

Day 1: From Portland, we headed east to Pendleton. Pendleton is a super cute town and after checking in to our equally cute Air BnB, we spent a few hours laughing and imbibing at The Great Pacific Wine & Coffee Co. The pizza was phenomenal (and the leftovers made amazing road food ;). I would love to spend a little more quality quality time in Pendleton!

Day 2: From Pendleton, the plan was to head through the mountains toward our ultimate destination, Leslie Gulch! But… as luck would have it, after reviewing our trusty Oregon Recreation Map, we spotted a place we just had to see for ourselves… so, with our bathing suits and towels within easy reach – we traveled through some snow flurries to take a break at The Lodge at Hot Springs Lake! This is a super unique place with a very interesting history. The Lodge is still currently getting updated, but it was a fun place to stop and get a soak in after many hours on the road. They had five different pools to choose from, all overlooking Hot Springs Lake, and a nice area to hang out. In the historic lodge, it was fun to look around and explore – they have rooms for rent, a movie theater, and a bar!

On our way out of Hot Springs Lake, we found another unique stop along the Oregon Trail!

Finally… we made it to Leslie Gulch and it was even better than we had expected. The drive is an a gravel road through an impressive canyons, but do not attempt during wet weather. There is a free campground (Slocum Creek) which we took full advantage of. Everything was absolutely gorgeous – and of course having pit toilets and picnic tables was a major bonus! We enjoyed a few hikes, stargazing, and a lovely evening by the fire.

Day 3: we had to say goodbye to Leslie Gulch and drove through Jordan Valley on our way to the Alvord Desert. Jordan Valley is quite small, but don’t miss Rockhouse Coffee for burritos, coffee, ice-cream, a gift shop, and the nicest restroom you will find for hundreds of miles! We also drove by the Oregon Pillars of Rome near the town of Rome, which was literally a drive by as it’s on private property and there isn’t a “viewpoint”.

Finally… after skirting the Steens Mountains and driving through some more snow flurries, we made it to the Alvord Desert Hot Springs! This place is exactly as they describe online – rustic and interesting, and they give a great Veteran’s discount. You can camp here, but this time we opted to rented a “bunker” for the evening, and promptly checked out the hot springs. They have two pools (one was super hot and one was lukewarm). Note that clothing is optional here unless children are present 🤣 – we also drove out on the dry lakebed (!) which was way cooler than I expected! The stargazing here is INCREDIBLE!!! We woke up at 2am to see the stars and were rewarded with 3 shooting stars and a serenade from the local coyotes. The staff here are super friendly and they have a limited supply of gifts, steaks to cook on the grills, snacks and drinks. If you stay here, you also get access to drive up to Pike Creek Trail which has a year round running stream and a pretty incredible pit toilet with a view.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/pike-creek-canyon-trail

Day 4: We made our way back north along the Steens Mountains and headed toward the Painted Hills. Due to impending weather, we decided to rent an Air BnB in Mitchell, OR on a working ranch. It was a super cute “tiny house” with a great little fire to hang out by in the evening. The town of Mitchell boasts a population of 135, and when we stopped in Tiger Town Brewery for dinner it was bustling! We enjoyed a local brew and burgers, surrounded by the hum of happy locals. After dinner we made our way to the Painted Hills. It was slightly overcast, we we enjoyed the cows, colors, and geology. We went to the Painted Hills Overlooked, and took a short stroll through the Painted Cove Trail before retiring back at our “home” for the evening.

Day 5: For our final day on the road, we headed west toward Portland. We stopped at Smith Rock State Park to take in the glorious views (sadly, no hiking today) and then stopped at Peter Skene Odgen State Scenic Viewpoint for a rest stop and to stretch our legs. This is one of my favorite rest stops in central Oregon, the facilities are great and the view of the Crooked River Canyon is even better.

All in all, I feel like our 5 day trip to eastern Oregon during the shoulder season was a hit. We got a little taste of some places I’d love to go back to for future camping and backpacking trips. Get out there and explore!!