Wander the West

Weekend Getaway at Camp Sherman

	Metolius River Lodging

January 2006

Sometimes you simply need to get away from your ‘real’ life for a few days. This was the case for my wife and me in January. We only had Friday night, Saturday and Sunday so we decided to stay close to Bend, Oregon where we live. The Camp Sherman area on the Metolius River is a beautiful area on one of Central Oregon’s best fly-fishing rivers. Other local activities include hiking, lake fishing, water skiing, mountaineering, and camping in the summer and snowshoeing, snowmobiling, alpine skiing, and Nordic skiing.

On this particular weekend our main goal was relaxation. The Camp Sherman area certainly offers this as well. There are numerous places to stay ranging from motel like rooms to beautiful cabins that sleep eight.

We chose a small cabin with Cold Springs Resort right on the banks of the river. We checked in and immediately headed up Santiam Pass to Hoodoo Ski Area where we did some night skiing before starting our rest and relaxation. On Saturday some friends from Bend joined us and we took a little hike along the Metolius River up to the head waters. This river is unique in that the entire river volume arises instantaneously from a large underground spring. This is definitely worth visiting. The rest of our day consisted of sitting around the fire and playing cribbage and reading books.

That night we treated ourselves to a wonderful dinner and wine experience at the Black Butte Ranch Restaurant which is less than 15 minutes from Camp Sherman. The service and food was excellent.

Many of the lodging options in the area allow dogs as did the Cold Springs Resort. We had 3 dogs total and spent several hours playing with them on the property. Ultimately we returned home feeling rested and refreshed and didn’t have to travel multiple hours to feel like we were away from home.

- Eric Davis