Without the Prineville BLM, the dots of Cottonwood Canyon State Park would never be connected. The park was a ranch before being sold first to the Western Rivers Conservancy in 2008, and then by that nonprofit to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) from 2009-2011. But the private land checker-boards across the landscape with BLM-administered land filling in the gaps. BLM and Oregon State Parks are working together to create a seamless experience for visitors to Oregon’s newest State Park.

When Congress designated the John Day as a Wild and Scenic River in 1988, the legislation stated that the river was "to be administered through a cooperative management agreement [CMA] between the State of Oregon and the Secretary of Interior." To facilitate the new park, the BLM will be completing an Environmental Assessment to modify the existing agreement. Under the modified CMA, OPRD would be able to construct and maintain trails, restore native vegetation, and provide a reservation service to the one boat-in campsite on BLM land. The BLM and OPRD are working on a review of the trail system in order to include a travel management plan in the EA for Cottonwood Canyon.

Cottonwood Canyon State Park straddles 16 miles of the lower John Day River, where Highway 206 crosses the river between Gilliam and Sherman Counties. Visitors can come to experience the park – even while OPRD and BLM work out the details of the CMA. The 8,000-acre park boasts amazing, rugged canyons, spectacular views and a primitive experience for guests. The park will remain generally undeveloped with miles of trails, primitive campgrounds, a day use area, a Welcome Center, restrooms and self-guided interpretive walks around the old ranch buildings. When the CMA is complete, the park boundary will include an additional 10,000 acres of BLM – making it the largest State Park in Oregon.

To find out more about this beautiful park, head on over to the Oregon State Parks page:

www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPa...