Succor Creek: Family, Campfires & Canyon Walls

🏕️ Succor Creek is one of those places that gets under your skin — in the best possible way. This drone video was filmed at Succor Creek State Natural Area in eastern Oregon, during a March camping trip with my son and grandkids. We spent four days camping, hanging out, building fires, exploring, riding, and just enjoying family time in one of my favorite high-desert places. For me, Succor Creek is more than just a beautiful canyon. I first visited this exact area when I was in the 8th grade, during spring break with a group of 7th and 8th grade boys as part of a school event. I loved it then, and I’ve been hooked ever since. 🚁 What You’ll See From Above From the drone’s perspective, Succor Creek opens up into a rugged canyon landscape of winding dirt roads, creekside campsites, rocky walls, sagebrush hills, green spring grass, and dramatic high-desert cliffs. The views show why this area is such a favorite for camping, driving, drone flights, ATV rides, and outdoor exploring. 🔥 A Family Campout in Canyon Country This video is more personal than some of my other flights. It is about the landscape, yes — but also about family. It captures the simple things that make camping special: time with kids and grandkids, sitting around a fire, exploring trails, and making memories in a place that already holds so many of my own. 🏜️ About Succor Creek Succor Creek State Natural Area is a remote canyon area in Malheur County, Oregon, known for primitive camping, rock formations, wildlife viewing, and access to the wider Owyhee backcountry. Oregon State Parks lists the campground as first-come, first-served, with primitive sites, vault toilets, and no available water, so visitors need to come prepared. 🌋 Geology, Rocks, and High-Desert Beauty The canyon is part of the larger Owyhee country, a landscape shaped by volcanic activity, erosion, and water over millions of years. A BLM brochure for the Leslie Gulch–Succor Creek area describes the oldest exposed rocks as part of the Succor Creek Formation, formed about 15 million years ago, with volcanic sediments from distant explosive eruptions, along with sandstone and conglomerate layers. It also notes that Succor Creek Canyon is known for petrified wood and agate-filled thundereggs, Oregon’s state rock. 🛻 A Great Basecamp for Exploring One of the things I love about Succor Creek is how much there is nearby. From this area, you are within reach of Owyhee Reservoir, Spanish Charley’s rock fence, Leslie Gulch, and miles of backcountry roads and ATV trails. It is close enough to Caldwell to be convenient, but once you are there, it feels like a completely different world. 🏍️ A Quick ATV Permit Reminder For Idaho riders heading into Oregon with motorcycles, quads, ATVs, or side-by-sides: make sure you have the proper Oregon ATV/OHV permit. Oregon Parks notes that Idaho does not accept Oregon permits, so Oregon does not accept Idaho permits under reciprocity; out-of-state residents can purchase an Oregon permit, currently listed at $10 and valid for two years. 🌄 Why I Keep Coming Back Succor Creek has everything I enjoy about the Owyhees: canyon walls, dirt roads, campsites, creek water, wide-open views, family memories, and that quiet feeling of being away from the rush of everyday life. It is a place to explore, relax, remember, and make new memories. Thanks for watching, and please subscribe to Above the Frontier for more drone views across Idaho, Oregon, and the wild places of the American West. #SuccorCreek #OregonCamping #OwyheeCountry #AboveTheFrontier #oregondrone ------------------------------ Dreams Become Real by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...