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Metolius Windigo Trail and the trail to the top of Black

Butte. If you want to hike the Camp Sherman area,

make sure it’s snow free, or at least be prepared for

snow.

The Cove

No visit to Jefferson County is complete without ex-

periencing Lake Billy Chinook. Formed by Round

Butte Dam at the confluence of the Deschutes, Crooked

and Metolius rivers, Lake Billy is the prime feature of

the Cove State Park. A water-skier’s paradise, the park

also has swimming areas, fishing, picnicking, houseboat

rentals, restaurant and store, hiking trails, and, of

course, camping. The Cove is very popular, and camp-

sites are often unavailable. Reservations are strongly en-

couraged, and can be made by calling 1-800-452-5687.

The viewpoints on the canyon rim east of the lake, off

Mountain View Road, provide some of the most spec-

tacular visions east of the Cascades. A visit is a must.

Don’t forget your camera.

Lake Simtustus, between Pelton and

Round Butte dams, is a quieter waterway,

home to outstanding freshwater fishing,

and Pelton Park. Simtustus can be reached

off U.S. Highway 26, from the Pelton Dam

Road at the base of the grade between

Madras and Warm Springs; or from the

south via Belmont Lane west of Madras.

To the north

Even if it’s too cold to golf or hike, that

isn’t any reason to stay cooped up indoors.

Take a road trip.

Richardson’s Recreation Ranch, located

11 miles north of Madras off Highway 97,

offers some of the best public rock-hound-

ing in the world. It’s a great place to take

curious youngsters, or for adults to dig a

bit. If you don’t want to get in the dirt, just

visit their impressive rock shop.

You might follow up the visit to the

Richardsons’ ranch with a drive to Ash-

wood, a hamlet along the banks of Trout

Creek. Ashwood was a mining town

throughout much of the last century, with

both the Oregon King and Horse Heaven

mines operating, and was boom and bust

along with the fortunes of the mines. The

mines have long since grown silent.

Back on Highway 97, a full-fledged old

West ghost town — Shaniko — awaits to

the north about 20 minutes up the road,

on the southern end of Wasco County.

Some old West history and a cool drink

later, consider returning to Jefferson Coun-

ty via Antelope, which, like Shaniko, is a

south Wasco County town that once had

well over 1,000 people, but now has just a

handful of folks. Antelope is best known

for defiantly standing up to the Rajneesh

commune in the 1980s.

Magnificent Cove State Park