Posted by
sumptersam on Thursday, April 16, 2009 1:00:00 PM
That is one of the most popular questions we hear at this time of the year. And the answer is: when it's ready to melt.
It's that simple. Usually the same people that couldn't wait for the snow to start falling at the beginning of the season are now wanting it to melt. It's a dilema that won't soon be solved.....If you are planning a trip to Sumpter ~
Great! No matter what the time of year, we think Sumpter is a great place to visit. But of course, we have a certain bias since we do live here. However, if you are coming, we welcome you, just remember that our "season" doesn't really get off the ground until Memorial Day. Of course, the
Oregon State Dredge Park does open it's gates officially on May 1st. The first
Flea Market is on Memorial Day, the
Sumpter Valley Railroad starts it's season on Memorial Day as well.
So, we have this stretch of time between the snow and opening for summer with not much going on. Of course, we welcome our visitors
whenever they come to Sumpter.
And, if you do come now, you can visit the
Sumpter Museum, the
Cracker Creek Museum of Mining
(the Monighan), and of course, you can always see the
Dredge-you just can't walk out onto the Dredge itself until May 1st.
Please remember that our trails and forest service roads suffer most of their wear and tear during these days when the snow is gone but the roads and trails are still soft and wet. The streets of Sumpter, however, are passable and you can ride your atvs on them. If you're planning a little Gold Panning in our area, keep in mind the lakes and streams are still very cold and likely to be running fast. The Elkhorn Scenic Byway isn't open yet since the road won't even be open until July. But the drive up from Baker City and on up to Granite is clear. So if you are planning a trip to Eastern Oregon ~ come on up to Sumpter~ we're only about a beautiful 40 minute drive from Baker City....we think a drive to Sumpter is well worth the trip ~
no matter what time of the year!