Oregon’s amazing Deschutes River is the lifeline of Central Oregon. Waters from the Deschutes irrigate crops, hydrate cites such as Bend and Redmond and serve as a recreational wonderland for residents and visitors alike. The headwaters of the Deschutes arise at Little Lava Lake, which is located along the Cascade Lakes Highway, south of the city of Bend. It extends 250 miles and flows northward, eventually emptying into the Columbia River. The Deschutes is frequently divided into three distinct sections, the Upper Deschutes, the Middle Deschutes and the Lower Deschutes. The Upper Deschutes River extends from its headwaters at Little Lava Lake to the city of Bend, where it forms Mirror Pond in Bend’s iconic Drake Park. The Middle Deschutes River extends from the city of Bend downstream to Round Butte Dam, which forms Lake Billy Chinook. The Middle Deschutes River and the Central Oregon Cascade Mountains, including the Three Sisters, Mt Bachelor, Broken Top, Tam McArthur Rim and Black Crater can be seen below in the new Fine art print I am about to release.
The Deschutes River, below Lake Billy Chinook is classified as the Lower Deschutes River. I will soon release a print of the Lower Deschutes River as part of a bigger initiative which I am very excited about. The Lower Deschutes, famed for its steelhead fisheries extends all the way to the Columbia River. A map of the Deschutes River and its various tributaries can be seen below.
Deschutes River Map
Of the three sections of the Deschutes River, I would argue that the Middle Deschutes despite its beauty is the most neglected and least appreciated. Water Flow in the Middle Deschutes ranges from 450 cfs to 1,200 cfs in winter. Unfortunately, those levels drop drastically during the summer irrigation season to extremely anemic levels ranging between 30 and 75 cfs. The Middle Deschutes is nearly irrigated to death, creating hot unhealthy water during the critical summer season. Fortunately, some wonderful local organizations such as the Deschutes River Conservancy are tirelessly working to restore more natural flow levels to the Middle Deschutes and other troubled waters such Whychus Creek and Tumalo Creek.
My hope is that the Print of the Middle Deschutes River seen below will raise some awareness regarding the plight of the Middle Deschutes and give some small boost to organizations such as the Deschutes River Conservancy in their struggle to restore healthy in stream flows to Central Oregon’s live waterways. I am extremely excited about this Deschutes River print as it does an excellent job of capturing the essence of this area of Central Oregon and this section of the Deschutes River.
Middle Deschutes River
This photo shares the rugged beauty of the Middle Deschutes River Canyon at the height of its spring beauty with blushes of yellow from Balsamroot and green from native desert grasses. All of this captured with the stunning backdrop of the Central Oregon Cascades. Tumalo Mountain, Mt. Bachelor, Tam McArthur Rim, Broken Top, South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister, Black Crater, Belknap Crater and Black Butte can all be enjoyed in this stunning new print of the Middle Deschutes River. For More information about efforts to protect and restore the Middle Deschutes River, please consider supporting the Deschutes River Conservancy. For More fine art prints of the Deschutes River and other waters of Central Oregon, please visit the galleries page of my website Deschutes River Photos. Also, please check back often as I will soon release a new fine art print of the Lower Deschutes River and some new information about a larger effort I am about to initiate in an attempt to give back to the Deschutes River.
Thanks For Visiting,
Mike
