Nimrod, Oregon

Nimrod

A small river community that was famous in the days of the White Water Parade. Thousands of folks were fed a picnic lunch nearby on “West’s Bar.” This is a beautiful, sandy area located on property once owned by the West family. John West was one of the first members of the McKenzie River Guides Association.

The first White Water Parade was unofficially held in April of 1938. A small group of McKenzie River guides and their wives floated down from Belknap Springs for a preview of the river before opening day of fishing season. By 1962 over 300 boaters were part of the parade. Invited guests included state dignitaries, radio and TV personnel, magazine and newspaper writers and other publicity agents. The route was 20 miles long. Crowds of up to 30,000 people lined the river banks. In 1970 the annual event ended. Unsafe craft and the recklessness of a few participants were cited. This community is home to two bed & breakfast inns, the Nimrod Fire Station and Eastern Lane County Fire Protection District.

Eagle Rock is a huge monolith located on the south side of the river. Lane County Parks owns property directly across the river from Eagle Rock, but the driveway to the site is extremely difficult to enter and navigate.

Howard Morton County Park is a beautiful little rest and picnic area located on the McKenzie River. It has four picnic tables. As the entrance to the park is hard to negotiate it is best to enter when traveling westward instead of eastward.