Cue banjo music from "Deliverance:"
There is a bizarre little place outside of Salem, tucked behind the turquois water of the Little North Santiam in the Opal Creek wilderness, surrounded by lush old growth forest. This abandoned mining town and lumber mill are appropriately called, "Jawbone Flats," and you must go there at least once.
There is a bizarre little place outside of Salem, tucked behind the turquois water of the Little North Santiam in the Opal Creek wilderness, surrounded by lush old growth forest. This abandoned mining town and lumber mill are appropriately called, "Jawbone Flats," and you must go there at least once.
What we've got here folks is a little bit of e'rrythang for everybody! Dispersed camping and cabins for rent, a museum, mining ruins that are being reclaimed by the forest, a creepy population of about 3 people, rusting relics and automobiles, swimming, cliff jumping, and hiking. We've got a 7 mile hike with no access to drinking water, so bring some with you.
Please enjoy this creepy gallery of oddities:
Please enjoy this creepy gallery of oddities:
Strange and interesting? Yes. You just kind of stumble upon these items along the way. And then there is Opal Pool for cliff jumping and cooling off...
As with most of the bodies of water and rivers in Oregon, it is freezing. Tupelo sat on a little shelf while I risked hypothermia.
We almost just spent the entire day here. There is a raft made of fallen timber. Crafty-effing-Oregonians made a goddamned raft. I can't even remember what this place was called, but a basic search on the web should help you locate a ton of sweet spots along the way. Opal Creek, the hillbilly resort of Central Oregon.
Parking gets cray-cray on this little stretch due to the access to the river and a bunch of amazing spots...like this one that I stumbled upon before finding Jawbone Flats...