OR-207 | Service Creek-Mitchell Highway
- Distance: 49.3 Miles (79.34 km)
- Rating: 3-B, Desolate, gentile corners create a nice break from OR26, the more common route through the area. Ratings Explained »
- Travel: Either direction for best results
- Start: Kimberly, Oregon
- End: Mitchell, Oregon
- Fuel: Prineville, Oregon
- Along the Way: The Town of Spray does offer a few amenities.
- Highlights: A long, lonesome highway with gentle corners to make it interesting.
- Advisories: There was fuel available in Mitchell the last time we were there, but I wouldn’t count on it still being open.
Summary
Making your way from Kimberly to Mitchell, Oregon, the road is very similar to the other roads in the area. Gentle sweeping corners that follow the meanderings of the John Day River that runs alongside. But after a few miles, the river and the road part ways and you begin descending back towards OR26.Turn left at the intersection and you’ll be on a smaller, narrower and more enjoyable route that heads south. You’ll cross the John Day River and follow a narrow canyon with small homes nestled into the lee of an adjacent cliff face. The road will continue with long, sweeping corners past Ponderosa Pine, scrubby sagebrush, red rock outcroppings and lumpy, rolling mountains. And sweeping corner back to the east leaves the road clinging to an exposed side-hill and some fun, banked corners that dance along before cresting a small hill and offering some pleasant views of the world below.
A little ways later the road aligns with Tamarack Creek before turning away and eventually connecting with Girds Creek as the road makes it’s final run to Mitchell. Turn right (east) to head into Prineville for a full service town with restaurants, hotels and fuel.
Road Rating System
The first part of our rating describes how technical we feel that road is. Numbers one through five with five being the most technical and one being a more mellow road with few challenging corners. The second half of the rating is a letter grade. A rating of “A” would be a road that is in great condition and a grade-F would be a crumbly, slippery or degraded surface.