The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

I have long thought about fly fishing on the Wenaha River but hadn't had the opportunity until last week when my husband and I camped at Fields Spring State Park for a few days.

Fields Spring State Park is an 826-acre forested camping park located in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington, 30 miles south of Clarkston on Highway 129.

Named for early settlers, Ben and Mary Fields, who developed the spring and used the water for their ranch and home, the park is on one of the routes originally used by the Nez Perce Indians (Nee Me Poo), when traveling from the Wallowa Mountains, in Oregon, to Lapwai, in Idaho.

We pulled into the park early in the day on Monday and were met by a friendly and helpful park aide who gave us the low down.

Doug Howell said a mama bear and her two cubs were roaming close by, so beware when hiking, and that a wolf in the area had been predating on elk calves. Then he sent us on our way to set up camp.

Due to its remote location, Fields Spring State Park is mainly unoccupied during the week, and that was our experience. Only three of the twenty standard campsites had people in them during the three days we were there.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed seeing a pileated woodpecker, a family of turkeys who stole through camp during the heat of the day, and the antics of a very stealthy Steller's jay looking for handouts.

On Tuesday morning, we left camp, going from an elevation of around 4,200 ft., down the Grande Ronde River canyon, to the river bottom, by way of Rattlesnake Grade. There are one hundred and ten corners on the nine miles of switchbacks on that road, and the going was slow.

At the bottom we drove sixteen miles along the beautiful Grande Ronde River to Troy, Ore., where the Wenaha River meets the Grande Ronde River.

Anglers beware. The Shiloh Country Store and Restaurant, in Troy, welcomes fisherman, but no longer sells fishing licenses. We were told the nearest place to get one would be Enterprise, Oregon, fifty-three miles away! Never daunted by a little set back we set out for Enterprise.

From Troy, we went up Redmond Grade Lane, traveling on a dusty gravel road for eleven miles to the ghost town of Flora, where we connected with Oregon SR 3, heading south. We stopped at the Joseph Canyon Overlook, about thirty miles from Enterprise.

Joseph Canyon was the winter home of the Chief Joseph band of the Nez Perce Indians. In June 1877, the U.S. Army found a cache of camas roots the tribe had stored in a cave for winter use and set fire to it, letting the Indians know they were not welcome there anymore.

When we got to Enterprise, the folks at the visitor's center gave us directions to the True Value Hardware store on Hurricane Creek Road. This is where the story gets personal.

In 1878 my paternal great-great grandfather Albert Leggett homesteaded on Hurricane Creek the year after the Chief Joseph band was routed from their home by the U.S. Army.

That same year, my other paternal great-great grandfather, John Blankenship, homesteaded on Prairie Creek. A Civil War veteran, John Blankenship is buried in the city cemetery in Enterprise.

We left Enterprise with fishing licenses in hand and headed back to camp, stopping for refreshment at Boggan's Oasis, forty eight miles north of Enterprise. Since 1940 Boggan's Oasis has offered mostly uninterrupted services to travelers. But, in November, 2017 the restaurant burned to the ground.

Owners Bill and Farrel Vail have since rebuilt and they continue to offer lodging, shuttle and fishing guide services, hunting and fishing licenses, and full-scale restaurant services, which include some of the best milkshakes around.

In our case it was a peanut butter milkshake, made by Kolleen Koppang, who works in the restaurant. After the pause that refreshes, we headed back to camp, going up Rattlesnake Grade.

The next morning, we headed to the Wenaha River for a day of fishing. In my case, fishing is a euphemism for sitting by the river reading a book.

Yes, there was some angling done. And, yes, a couple of Rainbow trout were caught that day. But was it worth the 58-mile drive to Enterprise?

I wish I had known then that Oregon fishing licenses can be obtained through a new electronic licensing system online at: MyODOFW.com, and licenses and tags can be stored on smartphones.

Michele Smith

A stunning view from the Joseph Canyon Overlook near Enterprise, Ore.

Otherwise, I would have to answer with a resounding "yes." All-in-all we had a great time.

Fields Spring State Park offers twenty camping sites with picnic tables and fire pits, restrooms with showers, two retreat centers and two teepees.

Recreational opportunities abound with bicycling, backpacking, mountain climbing, hiking, hunting and fishing, as well as cross country skiing on groomed trails, snowshoeing, and tubing runs. Snowmobiling is allowed on nearby forest service property. The park has warming huts in three locations.

Discover passes are required. Reservations at Washington state parks can be made online at: parks.state.wa.us or by calling (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.

Boggan's Oasis can be reached by phone at: (509) 256-3372 or by email at: boggansoasis@gmail.com.