2011 Map of Three Creek Butte

About this map

Three Creek Butte and Melvin Butte anchor the topography of this Deschutes County high-country landscape, defined by a complex network of forest access roads and water management features. The drainages of Whychus Creek, Melvin Creek, and Pole Creek are accompanied by early irrigation efforts visible in the Maxwell Ditch and Snow Creek Ditch. Historically significant for its recreational and resource management infrastructure, the area includes the Lower Three Creek Sno-Park and numerous named water sources like Black Pine Spring and Melvin Spring. The dense web of routes, including Peterson Burn Rd and B S Logging Rd, illustrates the intensive forest management and logging history of this section of Central Oregon. The presence of these named logging roads and ditches provides clear evidence of the economic activities that have shaped the land's hydrology and transit patterns over several decades.