I made a short run today on a really cool old part of the Oregon trail. Barlow road skirted the nasty rapids on the Columbia river but was only slightly safer. There are still a lot of it you can still drive. Suffice it to say it is still burly. It was just so cool to think about who had been there before and what they were thinking. I thought they wished they had a 4x4 van. I found this cool watering hole in the middle of nowhere. Just thought I would share.
If the road is snow free take 48 off highway 35 between Hood River and Government Camp. There are multiple access points. You can cover around 25 to 35 miles on Barlow road. It is very rough going in some places. Lots of old ruts and water bars added more recently. The cool part is how it looks like it was dug out by bulldozers but it is just all those wagons.
Great idea am adding to my list of places to go next year. Thanks for the tip.
Larrie
89 Ford 2WD penthouse
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Larrie
Read detailed trip reports, see photos and videos on my travel blog, luinil.com.
Current van: 2002 Ford E350 extended body camper with Colorado Camper Van pop top and Agile Offroad 4WD conversion.
If anyone is interested in the old emigrant trails in the Nevada and California area, here is a neat organization that researches and marks them. They lead group trips a couple of times a year, and their trail guides will lead you along many miles of neat old trails.
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