Graham Corral is one of the horse camps in the Sisters area that can be accessed early in the season. The others are
Sisters Cow Camp, and
Sheep Springs which is over by Camp Sherman. Although I have never actually camped at Graham, since it is a short drive from my house, I have ridden there numerous times.
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| Fourmile Butte. |
There are conflicting reports from various websites on when it officially opens, usually the beginning of May, but on Recreation.gov, they are accepting reservations after May 25th. However you can ride and camp there at any time of the year, just be prepared that there will not be water, or toilet paper etc. while it is closed.
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| Graham Corral Horse Camp. |
A friend once called the ranger station early in the spring, to ask when he could camp there, and was told it was gated and locked, this is NOT true. There is not even a gate to lock. Also the directions on Recreation.gov and on the forest service website take you on a longer gravel road from Hwy 242, this is completely unnecessary, when you can simply drive Hwy 20 west from Sisters for 5 miles then take a left where it is clearly signed. At that point you will be on gravel for almost 3 miles, continue to follow signs to the camp. The last part of the road is well taken care of, but the first half is a potholed mess, the worst I have seen it in recent years, and you can really only go about 5 mph. (They grade this road periodically, so it just depends on when you happen to be there)
The camp has 13 sites, but only 4 have corrals. However there are four very large communal corrals in the middle, and they have water troughs.
Site #4 has steel corrals, but the rest are wood. There is a bathroom, and it is $16.00 per night.
Update: After a long time without any, as of 2024 there is a 1000 gallon tank of non potable stock water. There is a manure bin, and they now have a separate dumpster for manure with a ramp and a wheelbarrow.
There isn't really a designated day use area and you are no longer allowed to park in the camp unless you are actually staying there.
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| Graham Corral Horse Camp. |
To do the Fourmile Butte ride, leave the camp heading south on the Metolius Windigo Trail, the sign will say to Sisters Cow Camp and Three Creek Meadow. You stay on the Met Win for awhile and then veer off to do the loop. This ride is clearly signed at junctions and marked the entire way with white diamonds.
Just follow along and enjoy the ride through tall Ponderosa.
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| The Met Win sign. |
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| This trail is clearly marked and signed. |
When you get to the butte, there is a sign that someone thought was a good idea to shoot the heck out of, and it will point the way to the left which is to the top of the butte, the white diamonds will continue to the right and that's where you will go after checking out the fantastic views on top. Speaking of shooting, I would recommend doing this ride during the week if possible, to avoid men with guns who may be up there.
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| The top of Fourmile Butte. View of Mt. Washington. |
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| The top of Fourmile Butte, View of Mt. Washington. |
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| The top of Fourmile Butte. |
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| The top of Fourmile Butte, view of Black Butte. |
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| The road back down Fourmile Butte. |
After continuing on the loop, you will eventually get back on the Met Win and it takes you back to camp. This is an easy 10 mile ride.
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| The Met Win has yellow diamonds, as well as these markers. |
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| Heading back to camp on the Met Win. |
To go to Gobblers Knob which is a very scenic short 4.5 mile ride, head north on the Met Win from camp and follow the yellow diamonds. At one point after crossing a road there is a "private property, keep out "sign which someone placed directly on the trail, just ignore this, and continue on, but make sure not to wander off the trail during this section, so you are not trespassing.
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| Not really applicable, since this is a public trail. |
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| Riding past Glaze Meadow you will see Gobblers Knob in front of Black Butte. |
You will pass Glaze Meadow and then there will be two water crossings, after the second one the Met Win continues to the right, but this is where you will take a left into a fenced area, and then an immediate right, to follow the trail that skirts along the base of Gobblers Knob. Ignore any side trails, stay on the main one until you see some colored horseshoes on trees and then keep left to climb to the top of the hill. There are great views from the top, this time of year the meadow down below is a little dry, although it will be much greener soon.
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| Second water crossing. |
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| Head through this fence to get to Gobblers Knob. |
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| Nice views of the Sisters and Glaze Meadow from Gobblers Knob. |
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| Atop Gobblers Knob. |
From here you can head back the way you came, or continue around the rest of the knob. There is another meadow on the other side you can visit, this is really pretty with a lot of aspens. Black Butte Ranch has a dude string and they use these trails for their rides, so you can also explore for awhile following all the hoof prints. It is their colored horseshoes on the trees that mark the various loops they do.
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| The meadow on the north side of Gobblers Knob. |
These are the two most scenic rides from camp, however, you can also ride to Sisters Cow Camp which is 12.5 miles round trip, or you can cross Hwy 20 on the Met Win and ride alongside Black Butte for as long as you want. There are also a number of dirt roads that I have followed for a long time, just exploring.
If you feel like an adventure you could try to find Skylight Cave, it is on FS Rd.260. If you get there at the right time of day and want to go into the cave, you might luck out and see the sunlight shining through the skylight.
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| Skylight Cave. |
Happy Trails!
GPS COORDINATES TO GRAHAM CORRAL
