Aspen Hollow Preserve

A 58 acre Preserve along Whychus Creek outside of Sisters, Oregon.
  • Closed to public access, guided tours only.
  • No established trails.
  • Whychus Creek, quaking aspen groves, and rimrock cliffs.
  • Nesting golden eagles, fall colors of aspen, and Whychus Creek.
Whychus Creek at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: John Williams.
Whychus Creek at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: John Williams.


The Land Trust acquired and protected the 58 acre Aspen Hollow Preserve in 2015. The Preserve includes 1/2 mile of Whychus Creek, rimrock cliffs, as well as pine and aspen stands, and is located outside of Sisters, Oregon (see map below). Aspen Hollow Preserve is home to a host of wildlife species including salmon and steelhead, mule deer, rocky mountain elk, golden eagles, spotted bat and numerous songbirds. The acquisition was made possible in part by the Land Trust’s Campaign for Whychus Creek.

  • What to See

    Releasing steelhead fish at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: John Williams.
    Releasing steelhead fish at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: John Williams.
    Aspen Hollow Preserve can only be visited on guided Land Trust tours or via hosted educational offerings. When visiting:

    • Explore Whychus Creek: 1/2 mile of Whychus Creek flows through the rock canyons of the Preserve. Whychus Creek provides important habitat for returning salmon and steelhead.
    • Enjoy fall colors: The Preserve has a small meadow flanked with ponderosa pine and quaking aspen. Each fall these aspen light up a brilliant yellow. Learn more about the importance of aspen in the Conservation Values section below.
    • Watch for wildlife: With song birds nesting along the creek and golden eagles nesting on nearby cliffs, bird watching is always interesting. Learn more about the golden eagles that nest at Aspen Hollow Preserve and watch their activities on a live webcam!
  • Conservation Values

    Whychus Creek at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: John Williams.
    Whychus Creek at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: John Williams.
    Aspen Hollow Preserve protects natural, scenic, recreational, educational, and fish and wildlife habitat values. It includes 0.6 miles of Whychus Creek, providing the type of high quality habitat necessary for successful reintroduction of salmon and steelhead to the upper Deschutes basin.

    Aspen Hollow Preserve also includes mixed ponderosa pine and juniper stands, aspen and streamside woodlands, healthy native bunchgrass and shrub communities, and habitat for a number of sensitive bat and bird species, including an active golden eagle nest.

     

  • Restoration Activities

    Weed warriors battle invasive plants at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: Ginny Elliott.
    Weed warriors battle invasive plants at Aspen Hollow Preserve. Photo: Ginny Elliott.
    The Land Trust manages Aspen Hollow Preserve to protect and, where necessary, restore fish and wildlife habitat. We also plan to provide site-appropriate educational opportunities. Current restoration efforts are focused on:

     

    • Structure removal. The Preserve had several unsound structures that needed to be carefully removed. In the fall of 2016 we removed the structures and began restoring the site. Learn more.
    • Restoring forests. We will restore the Preserve’s ponderosa pine and aspen stands to provide high quality wildlife habitat and help reduce fire risk. Learn more about our forest restoration efforts.
    • Managing weeds. Noxious weeds are a reality at all Land Trust protected lands. If they are not actively managed they compromise healthy native plant communities.
  • Know Before You Go

    Aspen Hollow Preserve can only be visited on guided Land Trust tours or via hosted educational offerings. When visiting, please note that Aspen Hollow Preserve is a rustic nature preserve. There are no established facilities such as trails, toilets, trash removal, or parking. 


    Preserve guidelines

    Aspen Hollow Preserve can only be visited on guided tours or via other authorized use. All use is conditional upon following these and any other posted rules:

    • Pedestrian travel only.
    • Respect restrictions as posted.
    • Removal or disturbance of plants, wildlife, and historical artifacts is prohibited.
    • Dogs are not allowed.
    • No hunting, camping, campfires, smoking, or unmanned aircraft use.
    • Commercial use, private events and unauthorized public use are prohibited.


    Please note: Aspen Hollow Preserve is private property owned by Deschutes Land Trust. Your use of the property is conditional upon these and any other posted rules. Preserve users failing to observe posted rules are trespassing and subject to applicable laws and penalties. Visitors to the Preserve may encounter risks associated with terrain, wildlife, and weather. Please exercise appropriate caution: the Deschutes Land Trust is not liable for injuries to Preserve visitors.

  • Maps

    The map below shows the location of Aspen Hollow Preserve. Aspen Hollow Preserve can only be visited on guided Land Trust tours or via hosted educational offerings.

     

  • Cultural History


    From time immemorial, Native Americans, including the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute tribes, lived in this region or visited it to hunt, fish, gather foods, and trade. Aspen Hollow Preserve is within the lands ceded to the United States in the Treaty with the Tribes of Middle Oregon in 1855. The bands that signed the 1855 Treaty moved onto to the Warm Springs Reservation and are known as the Wasco and Warm Springs tribes. Paiute people began settling on the Warm Springs Reservation in 1879 and, along with the Wasco and Warm Springs tribes, now comprise the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, by virtue of the Treaty of 1855, have legal rights to harvest and manage wildlife and, by implication, the right to habitats suitable to support wildlife populations. The Land Trust considers the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs an important partner in management and restoration of the property.

    The first Euro-Americans began to arrive in Central Oregon in the 1800s as trappers, explorers, and survey crews began mapping the region. In 1843 westward migration began along the Oregon Trail as the federal government forcibly re-settled Native Americans and offered western lands to Euro-Americans. In 1865, the Santiam Wagon Road was completed, connecting the Willamette Valley to Central Oregon and bringing even more settlement to the region. A key settlement in the vicinity of Aspen Hollow Preserve was Hindman Station at nearby Camp Polk Meadow. Hindman Station was a stopping place for travelers on the Santiam Wagon between 1868-1885.

    The Deschutes Land Trust established Aspen Hollow Preserve in 2015.