Little Creek Outfitters - RIVERS
The John Day
Est.1984
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JOHN DAY RIVER
The John Day is Oregon's longest free-flowing river. It winds past 210 miles of badlands, rimrock canyons, and basalt column cliffs. The canyon is rich in cultural sites for both Native Americans and early european-descent settlers. This river boasts one of the northwest's hottest Smallmouth Bass fisheries. Running over 500 river miles, the John Day is the second longest free-flowing stream in the U.S. It is protected as a "Wild and Scenic" river under the Oregon Scenic Waterways Act. The country is characterized by steep basalt canyon walls, juniper and sagebrush dotted hillsides, abandoned homesteads, and petroglyphs. This is one of the most culturally rich river corridors in the state. Human presence in this system spans more than 10,000 years. For thousands of years the Northern Paiute lived on this river they called the Mah-Hah. In 1805, these canyon dwellers met their first Europeans, the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1812, the river was renamed the John Day after one of the members of the Astor-Hunt overland party. It was the discovery of gold in 1860 that advanced pioneer settlement. The John Day River is truly the Grand Canyon of Oregon. The river's serpentine course through vertical basalt cliffs has, at times, an almost haunting feel.
"The John Day gouges its way through the scenery like Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland. And, from my siesta in a hammock under a shade spreading Juniper tree, the thought occurred to me -- this is really first class accommodation"
-Taka Kobayashi, editor in chief, "Rod & Reel" magazine, Japan.
Little Creek Outfitters - RIVERS
The John Day
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The Deschutes
- The Grande Ronde
1505 L Avenue
La Grande, Oregon 97850
541.963.7878
FAX.963.7878