About this place
The Cow Creek Back Country Byway is a drive through history, and it winds.
The route runs 45 miles and follows Cow Creek most of the way.
This rustic two-lane road makes a good alternative to Interstate 5, and it links the towns of Riddle and Glendale.
Interpretive signs along the way cover the long forgotten town of West Fork, the historic railroad, and gold mining in the area.
The Island Creek Day Use Area is a good place to stretch your legs, pan for gold, or eat beside the creek.
Skull Creek Campground has 5 sites and costs nothing. They go first come, first served.
The railroad is still active. It follows the original Oregon and California Railroad Company grade, built in 1869.
The Douglas Complex Fire burned parts of the surrounding forest in 2013.
Private mining claims are marked along the creek. Do not trespass on them.
Logging trucks are common, so stay alert on the blind corners.
Spring is the best time for wildflowers. In summer you can swim, fish and pan for gold in Cow Creek. In fall the foliage turns and the salmon spawn, though you will be lucky to see them.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Roads around it
- A rustic two-lane road
- Stay limit
- 14 days
- Type
- Open area. Camp anywhere within it
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
Coming down Interstate 5 from the north, take Exit 103, Riddle, and head west on Riddle Bypass Road. That road turns into the byway. Coming up from the south, take Exit 80, Glendale, then follow county road 263 to county road 39 and on to county road 164. County road 164 becomes the Cow Creek Road.
Coordinates 42.92174, -123.44667
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
There is another spot of ours within reach, and some better-known places further out.
- North Umpqua Wild and Scenic River Directions
- Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint Directions
- Agate Desert Directions
- Pearsoll Peak Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Riddle, OR Directions
Riddle is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
Thank you. A person will read it before it goes on the page.
Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Bureau of Land Management’s own records, read in August 2026.