4
Journey
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Take a scenic route to beautiful
ARCH ROCK
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Not all who wander are lost.
It was 101 degrees in John Day on July 13 — a perfect
afternoon for a family getaway in the woods for a hike.
Our destination: Arch Rock Trail in the Malheur Na-
tional Forest.
We’d heard great things about this hike, the views and
the rock formations, and we were not disappointed.
The drive to Arch Rock from John Day is 29 miles, a
total of 58 miles round trip.
At .6 miles total, the hike is easy enough for children.
Our family enjoyed the natural trail that took us
through a beautiful wooded area and past interesting
rocky outcroppings where a couple chipmunks scurried
for cover.
The temperature was a welcome 15 to 20 degrees
cooler than the John Day Valley.
Three informational signs along the trail tell the pre-
historic story of the area.
Volcanic materials that formed the rocky outcroppings
would have contained varying amounts of mud, ash and
rock.
The arch formed when materials in that area of the
rock eroded, as they were more susceptible to the effects
of weather.
See ARCH, Page 5
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
ABOVE: This sign shows where to start on the path to Arch Rock.
TOP: A hiker stands atop Arch Rock in the Malheur National Forest.
With Special Guest Dustin Schaefer
PURCHASE TICKETS AT:
maddenbrothers.tix.com or call 1-800-595-4849
116 NW Bridge St. John Day, Or 97845