Scenic Driving Oregon by Tom Barr

Author:Tom Barr
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493044665
Publisher: Globe Pequot Press

McKenzie Pass

At McKenzie Pass you enter the edge of a 65-square-mile lava flow. Dee Wright Observatory, on the summit, is built of lava and named after a Civilian Conservation Corps foreman who helped build it. Viewing ports, cut into the lava walls, isolate Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Washington, North Sister, and Middle Sister.

The lava flows originated about 2,600 years ago and are some of the nation’s most recent and impressive examples of volcanic activity. Since it is extremely dangerous to walk on the piles of sharp, chunky rock, take the signed 0.5-mile Lava River Trail Loop through lava gutters, pressure ridges, levies, and crevasses.

After crossing the Pacific Crest Trail, a mile west of the observatory, you wind through a mixed forest of Douglas, white, and subalpine fir; scrub pine; and spruce. The descent starts with views of Belknap Crater, North and Middle Sister, Craig Lake, and several large roadside ponds. At Scott Lake, accessible from a north-side road, you can see the Three Sisters reflected in the mirror-smooth waters. Obsidian Trailhead, nearby, is one of the most popular routes into the 283,402-acre Three Sisters Wilderness, and requires a permit to hike. You can explore other sections of the wilderness on 433 miles of trail that lead across its many peaks and cones.

At Deadhorse Grade, about 9 miles west of the summit, the road drops from 4,749 to 3,566 feet in 0.2 mile. The grade received its name when a horse died of exhaustion trying to climb it.

Alder Springs Campground is near the base of the grade and is a Willamette National Forest Service site with 6 tent spots. Bring your own firewood. Nearby a trail leads to Linton Lake. Proxy Falls, a mile west and poorly marked, is accessible by a 1.25-mile loop trail. It takes you from the parking lot across several lava flows to 2 waterfalls that drops in two stages of 200 feet each.

The next 8 miles are a mixture of peaceful setting and sharp curves. A forested bowl frames the roadway as it meanders through a quiet glade of thick ferns and towering trees that shroud everything in perpetual shade.

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