On March 17, 2003 Morrow County Oregon opened the
Morrow County OHV park. Nearly a year later we visited the Park for
its first "official" event. .
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This is the new sign at the entrance to the Park
off Higway 207.
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We head down Trail 1, riding in style on our
Bombardier Outlander Max.
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The Morrow County OHV park is the result of close
work between Morrow County officials and the Oregon Parks and
Recreation commision. In 1996 the Oregon Legislature created the
All-terrain Vehicle Account and the ATV Allocation Advisory
Committe. The account is funded with a portion of the gasoline tax
that is paid by users of Off-Higway vehicles. Also included in the
fund is money from the sale of ATV operating permits. (Did you ever
wonder where the money from that permit was going?) The ATV
allocation committee includes members of the off-highway community
who meet several times a year to review grant applications. In the
fall of 2001, Morrow County was awarded $1.72 million for the
purchase of land to be developed into a county OHV park dedicated
to off-highway vehicle and motorcycle recreation.
The park sits on 6,200 acres of land that borders
Umitilla National Forest and the Morrow-Grant county line. The park
is accessed via Higway 207 and is approximately 30 miles south of
Heppner, Oregon. Public works director Buke 0'Brien and Kern Wolff
have been instrumental in the development of this Park.
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Justin found plenty of fun areas for our YFZ450
throughout the park.
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Pattie takes a break at a scenic overlook.
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The Park currently has over 75 miles of trail to
ride, motorcycle/quad play area, 4x4 play area, several designated
4x4 trails with rock crawls along the route, kids' play area which
is close to the campground area, large loading / unloading area,
bike/quad wash area, small consession area, 12 pull-thru camping
sites and a day-use area. It is a spectacular facility with more to
come.
The Park is at an elevation of
approximately 4,300 feet and primarily conists of rolling hills
timbered with pine trees. The Park does get significant snow fall
in the winter so the primary ATV & motorcycle riding season is
May through October. You can expect highs around 80 during mid
summer but there a plenty of trees to find some shade around mid
day.
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Fragile creek crossings are well-protected with
solid bridges.
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Fun for all ages and riding styles.
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We arrived a day before the event so we could
spend some time exploring the Park. The camp host had maps avilable
for $1. We found ATV and Dirtbike trails suitable for most any type
of rider. There were trails ranked Easy to Moderate that were great
on the Outlander Max and plenty of great scenery and wildlife. We
found other trails that were more difficult and included hill
climbs and other challenging terrain. These were a blast on our
race-prepped Yamaha YFZ450. For the dirtbike rider we did see a
fair amount of single-track trail. In fact, the race on Sunday was
nearly 50% single track. We saw a couple trails that were
designated 4x4 routes with some moderate rock crawls. There is no
doubt that we could spend at least a week exploring all the trails
in the park.
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We found the Park was suitable for all ages and
vehicles.
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This rider was enjoying the kids play area, which
is close to the campgrounds so the parents can keep an eye on
them.
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On Saturday the Reload Ridge Riders hosted a Poker
Run for ATVs and motorcycles. The first riders went out at around
9AM with the shutoff at 11AM. This left time for the fast riders to
get in a couple loops, with each loop a little over 25 miles of
excellent variety of terrain. In one location the course split with
a more difficult section that included a NICE hill climb. The
course included 5 checkpoints where riders worked to complete their
poker hands. Around 125 riders participated in the Poker Run. The
under-7 crowd also had their own Poker Run course close to camp. We
took our time on the Outlander Max and completed the course in a
couple hours.
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The Reload Ridge Riders gathered with all the
prizes that had been donated for the Poker Run winners.
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On Sunday the Lobos MC hosted the Opal Butte 100.
This was part of the OMRA Cross country series for Motorycles. The
course consisted of a loop that was approximately 37 miles long and
more than 60 competitors did two laps around the course. The course
included one VERY challenging hill climb that left some riders at
the bottom and unable to finish. Derek Stealthy and Mason Harrison
took 1st & 2nd place honors with only 2 seconds separating
them. Full results of the race are HERE.
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OMRA Cross Country racers lined up for the start of
the Opal Butte 100.
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Jerry Moore getting after it on his KTM
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Lodging and
Facilities
Trust us - your best
bet is camping at the park. There are 12 pull-through camp spots,
no electricity, for only $8 per night. There is also plenty of
space in the parking/loading area that you can camp, but it's out
in the open on sharp rocks, while the established camping area is
based throughout a wooded & grassy area. On-site concessions
are provided by the Camp Hosts, with plenty of choices to keep you
fed for the weekend.
If you want a hotel,
you will need to stay in Heppner. There is ONE hotel in town, the
Northwest Motel and RV Park. They can be reached at (541) 676-9167
or via email at nwmotel@centurytel.net. It is rather small and
old, but the rooms are clean, and ours had a fridge and a microwave
in the room, surprising conveniences for about $50 a night.
Remember that it is about 30 very winding miles to Heppner from the
Park, so you won't want to make alot of trips back and
forth.
In Heppner you will find a Chevron
gas station for your fuel and a grocery store for all the items
that you forgot. In the works is a full RV facility as soon as
their Wastewater Lagoon System is complete.
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Quite a menu for a small concession. Try the Super
Coney Dog or Double Latte!
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A nice camp area with 12 pull-through spots.
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Summary
The Morrow County OHV area is a fantastic riding area for ATVs
and motorcycles. Areas like this make us true supporters of the
Oregon ATV permit system. We think $10 for an annual permit is
cheap for the opportunity to have such a fine riding area for
off-highway enthusiasts. We WILL be back.
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