Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 142
Happy mtn bikers Trail crews on the McKenzie River Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest have completed a five-year project to improve the O’Leary Loop into a world class mountain biking trail. Already a “hidden gem” for both hiking and mountain biking, the enhanced trail is a 22-mile, single-track loop with an intense backcountry feel. Local partners and the McKenzie River Ranger District hope that increasing the mountain biking opportunities in the area will encourage visitors to stay and explore the area for multiple days. The p...
Pony girl WALTERVILLE: The 66th annual “Walterville Community Fair – the Other Country Fair” is just around the corner. The event will showcase prime cookies, pies, cakes, and breads from area kitchens as well as the best canning of the year. Between now and the September 10th fair day, gardeners can encourage their favorite flowers to bloom, and gather vegetables to enter, while other folks finish up their handiwork or arts and crafts, develop their photography, and dust the antiques to enter into the fair’s many display categ...
Blue Pool/Tamolitch MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The portions of the McKenzie River Trail that lead to Tamolitch Falls, commonly known as Blue Pool will reopen to the public on Thursday, September 8th. However, due to continued fire-related safety concerns, portions east of Blue Pool and the fire area remain closed - including Forest Service Roads 740 and 743. Officials said road work was completed Sunday on Forest Service Road 655 at the trailhead near Trail Bridge Campground and Carmen Reservoir. Parking is only allowed on the right side of the...
MRT reroute MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Under plans approved in May, the McKenzie River Ranger District will relocate portions of the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail near Smith Reservoir. Parts of the existing trail were originally constructed in areas that officials determined were too steep, didn’t incorporate effective drainage, or were un-sustainable. Problems included erosion that might accelerate over time causing a variety of adverse impacts to the trails and environment, including damage which makes trails unsafe to use and increased turb...
MRT Closures Parts of the McKenzie River Trail remain closed over the Labor Day Weekend, including the popular Blue Pool, at Tamolitch Falls, due to the Blue Top Fire. U.S. Forest Service fire closure orders remain in place for 6 miles of the McKenzie River Trail as well as the area surrounding Blue Pool and the pool itself. The Forest Service closed the area to protect the public from post-fire hazards: falling snags from the rock face above the pool, intermittent rolling rocks, and holes that appear solid, but are hollow and can cause severe...
Tamolitch Pool Blue Pool and portion of McKenzie River Trail temporarily closed as firefighters respond to wildfire MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Fire crews are responding to the 2-acre Blue Top Fire near Blue Pool and Tamolitch Falls along of the popular McKenzie River Trail (Trail #3507). To protect both the visiting pubic and to allow firefighters to safely manage the fire, the McKenzie River Trail is temporarily closed between the trailhead at Trail Bridge Campground off Forest Road 2600-355 and the trailhead at Carmen Reservoir. “We realize this is a...
Blue Pool Fire Map Blue Pool will remain closed through weekend of July 29 & 30 MCKENZIE BRIDGE: 16:00 hrs: Fire crews are continuing to work the 2.5 acre Blue Top Fire near Blue Pool and Tamolitch Falls. “Our firefighters made great progress today. The fire is playing hide and seek in the steep cliffs and making it impossible for us to simply walk in there” said Randy Harbick, Fire Management Officer. “Instead what we are doing is hooking up a series of hoses and sprinklers, pumping water from portable tanks and essentially making a rain showe...
Cleanup WALTERVILLE: A local event on the 2016 Oregon Lavender Festival schedule will open this Friday for a three-day run in Walterville. From July 8th to 10th, McKenzie River Lavender will be open for u-cut lavender, farm tours and the farm’s popular Lavender Labyrinth from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Visitors and residents alike can look forward to sipping lavender lemonade, sampling other lavender goodies and shopping for fresh products like handcrafted soaps and lotions, essential oil and pillows. The family-run farm is located on Highway 1...
Water hazards MCKENZIE RIVER: Crews from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team, with the assistance of Eugene/Springfield Fire, responded to multiple water emergencies over the holiday weekend, including two on the McKenzie River, and four on the Willamette River The rescues on the McKenzie River occurred approximately ½ mile downstream from Harvest Landing in Springfield where fallen trees and other environmental factors can become a hazard. There are large rocks just under the surface of the water at the river left b...
10 Detours BLUE RIVER: Improvements will be underway this summer to the Aufderheide Scenic Byway (Forest Service Road 19) that connects the communities of Blue River and Westfir. Work will include placing new culverts, laying new asphalt and cleaning ditches. The work is expected to cause delays of up to 30 minutes in two locations. All the roadwork will be south of Box Canyon (the halfway point between the two towns). Travelers using the northern section of byway will not be delayed. Officials are advising travelers there will be a detour...
Seeding pond WALTERVILLE: After almost two years of extensive planting to establish native trees, shrubs and wetland plant species at the Walterville Pond five miles east of Springfield, the conversion from a man-made pond to a naturalized wetland is nearly complete. The restoration project was started in 2014 to improve the natural habitat value while retaining the area’s recreational benefits, according to Eugene Water & Electric Board officials. EWEB built the pond several years after completing the Walterville Canal to store water to s...
New powder Get ready to spring forward this weekend with fresh powder and fun times at Hoodoo. The current forecast is predicting 24-42 inches of new snow Friday night through Monday. It's the perfect time to visit Hoodoo and enjoy some late winter turns on the slopes. National Weather Service Detailed Forecast This Afternoon - Rain before 4pm, then rain and snow showers. High near 38. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. Tonight - Rain and snow....
Hoodoo bike SANTIAM PASS: The Back-country Festival will return to the to Hoodoo Ski Area this Friday and Saturday with seminars, industry pros, brand demos and entertainment. Organizers say there will be interactive displays set up on the snow as well as opportunities to test the best of fat tire bikes, skies, boots, bindings and light weight goods suited for every form of human powered touring into the backcountry. Other features of the two-day festival will include music, races, demos, clinics, snow camping and a Three Creeks Brewing Co....
Hwy. 242 closes With approximately 6 inches of snow already accumulated on the west side of the McKenzie Pass Highway, and more snow expected through the week, the Oregon Dept. of Transportation has closed OR 242, west of the summit, for the season. The highway was closed to through traffic at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 10th, from the junction with 126 to milepost 76.7, three-quarters of a mile west of the Dee Wright Observatory. Access to the observatory will still be available from Sisters until additional snow accumulates on the eastern...
ODOT logo Travelers throughout Northwest Oregon should be prepared for the season’s first heavy rains expected in the area beginning on Friday. Weather forecasters are calling for moderate to heavy rain along with some winds, which will likely create problems for area travelers along the Oregon Coast, in the Willamette Valley and at the higher elevations of the Cascades. Forecasters are predicting several strong storms that will challenge travelers including some of the first snow accumulation on the mountain passes. Motorists should be p...
Terwilliger repairs All soaking pools are now open at Terwilliger Hot Springs after a Forest Service trail crew worked last week to stabilize the hillside behind the top pool. That section had been closed since last year, when a rock dislodged and nearly struck a person soaking in a pool. McKenzie River District Ranger Terry Baker thanked people for their patience while workers addressed the safety issue. Next year, after the winter rains, the crew will return for other site improvements and drainage issues. McKenzie River R...
Terwilliger repairs All soaking pools are now open at Terwilliger Hot Springs after a Forest Service trail crew worked last week to stabilize the hillside behind the top pool. That section had been closed since last year, when a rock dislodged and nearly struck a person soaking in a pool. McKenzie River District Ranger Terry Baker thanked people for their patience while workers addressed the safety issue. Next year, after the winter rains, the crew will return for other site improvements and drainage issues. McKenzie River R...
GolfBoard RAINBOW: GolfBoard, a surf-inspired, motorized golf vehicle built specifically for the sport – is now available at the Tokatee Golf Club. “Tokatee is a perfect fit for GolfBoarding with its undulating landscape, gorgeous scenery and charming, rustic heritage,” says Jeff Dowell, President of GolfBoard. “As an Oregon-based brand, we also enjoy partnering with our state’s best, most iconic courses.” Conceived by Bally Total Fitness Founder Don Wildman and legendary big wave surfer Laird Hamilton, GolfBoarding is an entirely...
Mtn bike rescue Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley reports the Linn County Sheriff's Office 9-1-1 Center received a call at 11:23 a.m. on Sunday reporting an injured mountain bicyclist on the McKenzie River Trail near Sahalie Falls. Sahalie Falls is located on Highway 126 near the Clear Lake Resort, a popular destination for hiking and mountain bicycling. The trail is narrow and consists of lava rock, large boulders, steep drop-offs and hazardous terrain. Deputies and 19 Linn County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue (SAR) members responded to...
Sahalie slack line MCKENZIE BRIDGE: Ex-treme-sport enthusiasts from Canada were walking an inch-wide band of nylon across the 90-foot high Sahalie Falls last Monday afternoon. Michael Neururer and the other members of the group, SlackLifeBc, crossed the high span during a tour of Oregon highline locations, including Smith Rock State Park in Central Oregon. “It was a group of ten people from all over,” Neururer said. “The slacklifeBC crew, Ari in the air from Oregon, one from Hawaii, a few from Colorado and even Europeans.” Based in Vancouv...
3 Finger Jack Sheriff Bruce Riley reports that on September 20, at 2:10 p.m., the Linn County Sheriff's Office 9-1-1 Dispatch Center received a call from a mountain climber reporting that a climber had fallen while climbing Three Finger Jack. The caller said he and his climbing partner heard another climber, Corey Franklin, 23, from Bend, calling for help. The two climbers made contact with Franklin and he told them his climbing partner Tyler Jeffery Heilman, 22, from Bend, had fallen from the northwest side of Three Finger Jack near the...
Barrel train The 2015 Walterville Community Fair’s theme is “Shake Waddle and Roll To The 65th Walterville Fair.” It will start with the 5K Waddle at 8AM and continue with vendors, displays of garden produce, canning, baking, sewing, arts and antiques. The parade will be at 11AM, chicken Bar-B-Q full dinner for $9 at 11:30AM, children’s games, doggy parade at 11:30PM and finish with the raffle at around 3PM. Come join your friends and neighbors....
Salmon at Cougar BLUE RIVER: Hatchery raised male spring Chinook are far less fit than their natural counterparts. That’s the conclusion of a report on the trap and haul operation at the 518-foot tall Cougar Dam on the South Fork of the McKenzie River. In addition, researchers found that overall, natural origin females return as larger adults, giving them a spawning advantage in the wild. The trap and haul operation, which began in 2010, traps both hatchery and wild spring Chinook salmon. They are then trucked above the dam and released into t...
Silver Creek Landing The Lane County Parks draft master plan has been released for public comment. Over the next several months, the county’s staff will be gathering written comments and conducting public open houses in preparation for formal hearings with the Parks Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, and ultimately the Board of County Commissioners. Included in the review are a half dozen parks – from Armitage to the Jennie B. Harris Wayside, as well as a dozen boat landings. One of the largest is the 32-acre Hendricks Bridge P...
Blue-green algae poses threat to recreation and drinking water Walterville Pond A report from Oregon State University concludes that blooms of blue-green algae (or toxic cyanobacteria) are a poorly monitored and underappreciated risk to recreational and drinking water quality in the United States. It may also be a growing global health threat. Contributing to the concern are rising temperatures and carbon dioxide levels. Many rivers have been dammed worldwide, and wastewater nutrients or agricultural fertilizers in various situations can cause...
