Free Bridge Hike

Overview

In 1873, John E. Harris constructed a wagon road leading down into and out of the Deschutes River Canyon, building a toll bridge at a site known as Kloan. Wasco County purchased the bridge in 1887 and made it a “free” bridge. A Pratt through truss bridge replaced the original bridge in 1905. However, the entire structure was found mysteriously collapsed in the river one day in 1914. Since the other bridges across the Deschutes were still private toll bridges, some evidence indicated that the Free Bridge was dynamited by the disgruntled competition. The remains of the bridge can be seen on the Deschutes River Hike, but a more adventurous approach down Free Bridge Road takes you to the bridge site on the west bank. Note that the road is still a county road and you can actually drive it if you want. However, the tread is narrow and rocky, with some large embedded boulders, thus requiring 4WD, good clearance, tough tires, and dry weather conditions. It won’t take you much longer to walk the track than trundle down at a very slow pace in a vehicle and, in the event that you find you can’t get past an obstacle, you’ll be in quite a pickle as there’s no room to turn around. Begin from the pullout area just past the big blank sign. You’ll be descending Allen Canyon, with a small gully to the left. After 400 yards, come to a gate with a chain latch and a sign warning of “primative” [sic] road conditions. You’ll already be getting views of the Deschutes River itself downstream to Gordon Canyon and Gordon Ridge straight across. The land is open grassland dotted with sagebrush bushes. In the spring, wildflowers blooming include desert parsley, phlox, fiddleneck, prairie star, white plectritis, balsamroot, milk-vetch, and lupine. You’ll soon be able to spot a couple of BLM outhouses at campsites. The road cuts into a basalt layer and continues its narrow course. As you near the BNSF railroad tracks, the road surface becomes sandier. Just above the tracks, there’s a grassy parking area of sorts for those who bring their

Trail Stats

Photos

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