The McKenzie/Santiam Pass Scenic Byway is a journey of contrasts. On the dry east side of the Cascades lodge pole pines and lava fields provide a stark black and white contrast; while on the west side of the Cascades we found lush forests of Douglas fir, cedar, ferns and moss along with numerous waterfalls. This 82 mile all day loop drive starts in Sisters, Oregon. The byway contains the highest concentration of snow capped volcanoes in the lower 48 states. Broken Top Mountain, Mount Washington, and the three sisters (shown above), tower above the scenic route.
When you reach the 5325 foot McKenzie Pass you are surrounded by lava on all sides. The Dee Wright Observatory is a lava rock structure constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1935 and named for their foreman. From the Observatory, you can see six Cascade peaks on a clear day, which is what we had.
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| Mount Washington |
The byway follows the path of an 1860's wagon route, emerging from the forest at Windy Point.
The half mile Lava River Interpretive Trail is a 30 minute walk on a paved surface through lava gutters and crevasses. You are on the boundary of two wilderness areas: Mt. Washington to the north and Three Sisters to the south. The official names of the Three Sisters are not very creative, North Sister, Middle Sister and South Sister. The locals call them Faith, Hope and Charity, respectively.
Descending from the McKenzie Pass into the Willamette National Forest we reached the trail head for Proxy Falls. These falls were well worth the short hike into the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. We learned that this 226 foot tall highly photographed falls frequently appears in calendars.
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| Sahalie Falls |
After we turned onto Highway 126, we began to catch glimpses of white water on the McKenzie River. We stopped at Sahalie Falls and continued on the river trail to Koosah Falls. The path follows on the edge of the frothing river. The falls were really gushing on this particular day.
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| Koosah Falls |
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| Head Waters of The Metolius River bubble up from underground springs near the base of Black Butte |
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A final stop back in Sisters at Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon
at the historic Sisters Hotel.
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