Gilchrist

Mohawk Restaurant & Lounge in Crescent has served home style cooking on Highway 97 since the 1930s, and Gilchrist Grocery & Deli covers groceries and quick meals in town. Head west on Highway 58 for Manley's Tavern near Crescent Lake, known for broasted chicken, the Hook & Talon Grill at Shelter Cove Resort on Odell Lake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the restaurant inside the historic Odell Lake Lodge. Lake area hours can shift by season, so call ahead.

Odell Lake is a Kokanee, Mackinaw, and Rainbow Trout fishery with marinas, moorage, and boat, kayak, and paddle board rentals at Shelter Cove and Odell Lake Lodge. Crescent Lake brings sandy beaches, swimming, boating, and water skiing, with Forest Service campgrounds just off Highway 58. Closer to home, the Little Deschutes River runs through Gilchrist and was dammed to form the town's historic mill pond, a favorite spot for quiet walks and birdwatching.

The 52,611 acre Diamond Peak Wilderness, including about 14 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, is reached from trailheads off Highway 58. Winter is just as active: Willamette Pass offers downhill skiing, snowboarding, and groomed cross country trails, and the lakes area is known for snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Newberry National Volcanic Monument is an easy day trip north.

Gilchrist was built in 1938 by the Gilchrist Timber Company and was the last lumber company town in Oregon. The 1939 Gilchrist Mall, the first mall opened east of the Cascades, still anchors town with its original buildings intact. Gilchrist Elementary and Gilchrist Jr/Sr High serve local students through the Klamath County School District, and Bend's full shopping, medical, and airport services are roughly 50 miles north.