PAGE 6 • GO! MAGAZINE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
THE OUTDOORS
bendbulletin.com/gooutdoors
Outdoor pick
of the week:
Barnes Butte
Recreation Area
The Barnes Butte Recreation Area is new
and still being developed to its full potential,
but it is still a nice place to spend a morn-
ing exploring. The 620 acres of land on the
eastern edge of Prineville near the IronHorse
subdivision includes the eponymous butte.
The Barnes Butte Trail climbs steadily 1.3
miles to the rocky summit, about a 550 -foot
gain in elevation. While the trail is well -
maintained, the top can get a little steep
and require slight scrambling — but noth-
ing too technical.
Other trails surround the butte area: One
winds alongside a canal and one climbs a
smaller hill around a cow pasture . Both offer
great views of the butte and the plateaus
beyond Prineville as well as the Cascades.
All the trails are good for trail running,
hiking, walking your dog and leisurely strolls
depending on your preferred speed.
Getting there: In Prineville, travel east
on NE Third Street (U.S. Highway 26) and
turn left on NE Combs Flat Road. Continue
straight, past Barnes Butte Elementary
School and onto a dirt road until it ends at
the old corral.
Cross-country skiing
— Makenzie Whittle, The Bulletin
in the Ochocos
Bulletin file photo
The shelter at Walton Lake Sno-park offers a cozy place to rest.
BY MARK MORICAL • The Bulletin
W
alton Lake Sno-park on the Big Summit District of the Ochoco National Forest has about 20 miles of
nordic ski trails that radiate from the parking area. An array of trails include short, relatively flat paths for
beginners to longer, steeper runs for more advanced skiers. The Corral Loop is an easy, 5-mile path that
Makenzie Whittle/The Bulletin
Barnes Butte as seen from an unnamed
trail in the Barnes Butte Recreation Area
in Prineville.
is mostly flat but offers a few moderate slopes. The Round Mountain Trail, which begins just west of the shelter at the sno-
park, joins the Walton Lake to Round Mountain hiking trail. There is also a spacious shelter near the parking lot at Walton
Lake Sno-park.
Directions: From Prineville, drive 16 miles east on U.S. Highway 26 to the junction of Forest Road 22. At the junction, keep right at a sign
for Walton Lake. Travel on Forest Road 22 for 9 miles to the Ochoco Ranger Station. Just past the station, look for an intersection and take a
left. Walton Lake Sno-park is about 9 miles up the road. A sno-park permit is required.
ý
Reporter: 541-383-0318, mmorical@bendbulletin.com
MORE OUTDOORS
COVERAGE
Find places to explore, conditions, expert
columns and outstanding features in The
Bulletin’s new Explore Central Oregon
section in Friday’s paper