The park at Crooked River Gorge

 Peter Skeen Ogden roadside rest area/State Park is on US 97 in central Oregon.  It is named for one of the original Mountain Men, fur trappers who explored the northwest in the early 1800’s.

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The park/rest area is on the high ground at Crooked River Gorge, which, at 330 feet here, was a major impediment to travel and trade.  There is a nice park in this High Desert:

US 97 is a Blue Star Memorial Highway, honoring the armed forces of the US.

A volcanic cone rises beyond the Gorge.

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Looking southwards over the Oregon Trunk Railway bridge built here in 1910.

Volcanic cones dot central Oregon.

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The park rail separates us from the sheer verticle drop beyond it:

Signs warn to keep dogs on leases; that last jump is a fatal one.

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This is a kind of oasis in the high desert.

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Looking northeastwards, we can see Ft. Rock, a State Park and a magnet for rock climbers:

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next up:  The Bridges at Crooked Gorge

 

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