Cottonwood Canyon State Park is located on the lower John Day River. Park headquarters, about a two-hour drive east of Portland, is adjacent to Oregon Route 206 between Wasco and Condon.
The river, which here forms the boundary between Sherman County on the west and Gilliam County on the east, meanders for 16 miles (26 km) through the arid park. The walls of the main canyon reach to 1,920 feet (590 m) above sea level within the park, which also includes four side canyons: Hay Creek, Esau, Rattlesnake, and Cottonwood. These and the main canyon are flanked by grassland, sagebrush shrub-steppe, river bottom, and cliffs composed mainly of basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group.
Map 4 showing the section from Whistle Point to Cottonwood Canyon of the John Day Wild & Scenic River (WSR) in Oregon. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Map 5 showing the section from Cottonwood Canyon to Tumwater Falls of the John Day Wild & Scenic River (WSR) in Oregon. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Brochure of Horse Camps and Trails in Oregon. Published by Oregon State Parks and Recreation.
Cottonwood Canyon SP
https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=195
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwood_Canyon_State_Park
Cottonwood Canyon State Park is located on the lower John Day River. Park headquarters, about a two-hour drive east of Portland, is adjacent to Oregon Route 206 between Wasco and Condon.
The river, which here forms the boundary between Sherman County on the west and Gilliam County on the east, meanders for 16 miles (26 km) through the arid park. The walls of the main canyon reach to 1,920 feet (590 m) above sea level within the park, which also includes four side canyons: Hay Creek, Esau, Rattlesnake, and Cottonwood. These and the main canyon are flanked by grassland, sagebrush shrub-steppe, river bottom, and cliffs composed mainly of basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group.
