BLM asks public to avoid user-created parking site near Cline Buttes Recreation Area for safety reasons

Removing gate, signs, adding boulders to deter use; trail access crosses Thornburgh Resort property

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bureau of Land Management is asking the public to avoid utilizing a user-created parking site located along the edge of the Cline Falls Highway, near the intersection of the highway and the Vor Road (Federal Aviation Administration Road), for public safety and to avoid conflicts with private land.  

While visitors often park at the site to enter the Buttes segment of the Cline Buttes Recreation Area, the BLM said the spot only allows access to a small segment of public land and does not provide direct trail access without crossing Thornburgh Resort private land.

Currently, Thornburgh Resort is using heavy equipment for development projects, and the public could be trespassing and exposed to health and safety hazards if they travel through the area to access the Buttes, BLM officials said in a news release Wednesday.

The BLM said it is removing the access gate and signs, repairing the fence, and installing boulders to deter use.  

Alternate parking which provides direct access to the Buttes trail system is available about a mile north along the Cline Falls Highway. Visitors can use the established Juniper Trailhead parking area that is part of the Maston trail system or a primitive parking site off Rock Pit Road. The turnoff for the Rock Pit Road is on the west side of Cline Falls Highway about a mile north of the Vor Road entrance. Visitors will drive approximately a half-mile to the primitive parking spot. 

For additional information about parking options to access the Buttes, please contact the BLM's Prineville District at (541) 416-6700. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question for the above individual. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.