Currier Spring and Farm Well Horse Camps, Oregon

So this heat wave is something else. I had to find a way to escape for a little while. There are quite a few trail heads and camps that access the Fremont Winema Trail, and Currier Spring is the highest at almost 7000 feet. I figured that would do nicely.

The view of Summer Lake from Winter Rim.

Directions are correct in the OET book, but there is not much other info to be found online about this camp.

Just outside of Paisley OR you drive up to the top of Winter Rim and "voila" a nice little obviously underused camp and trail head. The drive is on a gravel road that is fairly steep, with a couple of narrow areas. On the way up I saw a bear, I was driving and he was running away, so no chance for a picture but it was great to see him since I rarely see bears in all my travels. As I pulled in I was greeted by a herd of cows and a very large bull congregating by the spring that the camp is named for. The bull was making some loud noises and pawing the ground a bit, so we eyed each other for awhile until he finally decided to saunter back over to all his womenfolk, allowing me to safely wander around and figure out where to park. There are three smaller campsites in a half circle and I found another site just around the corner from the trail head with a lot more room, enough for several rigs.

Currier Spring Horse Camp.

This is a primitive camp, with no bathroom, only one site has a set of steel corrals, two of the spots have picnic tables and fire rings. There is the spring nearby for stock water, but no potable water, and no fee.

Currier Spring Horse Camp.

The spring.

Local critter.

I headed out to ride the trail along the rim. Beautiful views, copious amounts of flowers, large birds soaring overhead, and a ton of bugs! Mosquito's were few and far between, but we were followed and harassed by a cloud of various other insects. I learned to keep my mouth firmly shut lest I ingest some unwanted protein. I was riding with my left hand and using my right hand to swat and kill deer flies that were attaching themselves to my poor pony.The trail heading north is very scenic but sometimes faint and I did lose it several times, but it is well marked. It became a game of "spot the national recreation trail signs" posted on trees, also there were a lot of large cairns, and sometimes orange trail tape. This section of trail has been maintained in the past, so as far as blow down, there was some, but it was easy to get around for quite awhile.... until suddenly it wasn't. I rode back down to the dirt road that runs parallel and then found the trail again later on.

Summer lake below Winter Rim.

So many different flowers.

Riding along the Fremont Winema Trail on Winter Rim.

Fairly well maintained for awhile.

Out in an old burn area.

Summer Lake.

Riding south however was another matter. On the second day I got about two miles along it and then the trail became a complete mess, which makes sense since it leaves the rim and no longer has a view so nobody has maintained it for a long time. I rode the rest of the day either on dirt roads or cross country.

Riding cross country through meadows and aspens.

Purple dirt road anyone?

I decided to leave that night and go to my next destination, Farm Well outside of Silver Lake. It is lower elevation, so it was hotter, but I wanted an early start for riding in the morning. Last year I did a day ride from Farm Well to the top of Hager Mountain, while I was camped at Silver Creek Marsh which I describe in another blog about that camp. Silver Creek Marsh Horse Camp
But this time I planned to ride the Fremont Winema trail to the south.

Farm Well is a really nice free camp, with lots of room between the 5 sites, there is a bathroom, a manure bin, and two large stock water ponds/swamps. The sites do not have corrals but there are four large communal corrals. I just parked in a spot close to them. I could see that this camp does get quite a bit of use but both times I have been there, there were no other horse people. I did have company though, some very quiet non horse campers. One fellow wandered over to say hi and to look at my horse.

The communal corrals at Farm Well.

Stock watering hole at Farm Well.

Stock watering hole at Farm Well.

I entertained myself that evening by photographing the local wildlife. There were a lot of vultures hanging about in the trees. I counted 16 that night. In the morning there were easily twice that many out by the watering hole.

Vulture.

Riding south the next day, the trail started out in the trees, headed into an old burn area for awhile, passing under some of those huge crackling power lines that make me worry my brain is being fried from exposure, through a few small canyons, across some grasslands, and then about 6 miles later, back into the woods. This whole section of trail was well maintained.

Riding south on Fremont Winema trail from Farm Well.

One of the small canyons.

Hager Mt.

Driving back to Silver Lake I learned that their gas station is only open three days a week, and Monday was not one of those days, so.... note to self, and anyone reading, make sure you have plenty of gas before heading out into this area. I barely made it back to La Pine!


GPS COORDINATES TO CURRIER SPRING

GPS COORDINATES TO FARM WELL