Ogden Scenic Wayside

Peter Skene Ogden Scenic Wayside is nine miles north of Redmond on U.S. Highway 97.

The Oregon State Park viewpoint rims a 300-foot-deep canyon cut by the Crooked River, which lies along its bottom. To the west is the fabled 1911 Oregon Trunk Railroad trestle that helped connect Redmond with the world. Adjacent is the steel arch 1926 Crooked River Bridge, or High Bridge as locals call it. Before the bridge was built, travelers had to make their way down the steep canyon sides to ford the river. In 2003, a new bridge, named for World War II military hero Rex T. Barber, was constructed for vehicle traffic, and the High Bridge was made into a footbridge for visitors to the canyon.

Ogden was a Canadian fur trapper and mountain man who led explorations throughout Central Oregon in the 1820s. There is a city named for him in Utah, as well as several schools in the U.S. and Canada and a Canadian port.

An Oregon State Parks sanctioned bungee jumping operation offers an adrenaline rush off the High Bridge. Central Oregon Bungee Adventures opened for business August 2015 and operates when weather is permitting. For more information visit oregonbungee.com or www.oregonstateparks.org.

Cline Falls park

Cline Falls Scenic Wayside is a day-use park just west of Redmond on Highway 126. It has picnic tables, barbecues, restrooms, horseshoe pits and plenty of green space. The Deschutes River runs along the park, providing quiet spots to wade or deeper swimming holes and slow currents for tubers.

Locals in the know head downriver to swimming spots on the north side of the Cline Falls Bridge, but beware — they are close to the falls, which have claimed several lives over the years.

The Oregon State Park is a popular family picnicking spot and is alcohol-free. There is no entrance fee.

Little evidence exists of the town that once existed nearby, platted in 1903. In 1911, a hydroelectric plant at the falls — now unused but still standing — began providing electricity for nearby Redmond, which quickly grew much faster than the tiny town of Cline Falls.