Cottonwood Canyon State Park
| Cottonwood Canyon State Park | |
|---|---|
Information station in the park | |
| Type | Public, state |
| Location | Sherman and Gilliam counties, Oregon |
| Nearest city | Wasco |
| Coordinates | 45°28′42″N 120°28′20″W / 45.478371°N 120.47233°W |
| Area | 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) |
| Created | 2013 |
| Operated by | Oregon Parks and Recreation Department |
| Open | All year |
| Website | Cottonwood Canyon State Park |
Cottonwood Canyon State Park, established in 2013, is the second largest state park in Oregon, encompassing 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) on the lower John Day River. Surrounding the park is another 10,000 acres of public land that is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The only Oregon State Park that is larger in size is Silver Falls State Park, which has a size of 9,064 acres (3,668 ha).
Park headquarters, about a two-hour drive east of Portland, is adjacent to Oregon Route 206 between Wasco and Condon. The river, which is formed by 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.