Getting There
When I left my room in Bend, I didn't have a firm plan for the day as I was heading back to Portland. To be honest, I felt a little bit gutted; the week had zoomed by. I wanted to return home via Eugene/I-5 which meant I would be heading west on the McKenzie Hwy. I looked as some hikes near Sister, OR.
The trail I'd settled on was near the Dee Wright Observatory, where I'd visited a couple year before on my way home, was Black Crater. I felt pretty committed as I left Sisters. I bypassed a couple places to "take care of business", putting all my faith in an open bathroom at the observatory. Unfortunately, it was closed for the season. Fuck!
I had to rough it near the trailhead. However, as I was waiting for my InReach to recharge, I was feeling a bit hesitant since there were no others at the trail and I expected a tough hike (lots of EG) through snow. An AllTrails commenter said "Black Crater is one of the best hikes along the McKenzie Scenic Highway!". Ouch, in hindsight.
Anyway, I felt a little better when I'd pulled out of the parking lot. I had a plan, albeit a "safe" one. :/ I briefly considered a repeat hike at Smith Rock but this would route me north of my drive home. I did see I could skip Eugene and get back to I-5 around Salem. I tossed the idea since I'd already done that hike and likely didn't have time to do the whole big loop like I'd done last year; Burma Road Trail.
I had a concern that the McKenzie Pass was going to be difficult due to snow/precipitation but that wasn't the case: the lower elevation, the warmer the weather.
After Santiam Junction, I took Hwy 126 towards Eugene. I pulled into the parking lot of Sahalie Falls but found the lot full and many other cars parked on the road. Nope! Too crowded.
My next stop was on a whim: Blue Pool. I found another busy parking lot but didn't want to forfeit a final hike on this short trip. I knew it was going to be a well-traveled trail but what choice did I have? I parallel parked away from the trailhead and geared up.
The Hike
Elev. gain: 600 ft
Moving time: 2:26:51
Total time: 2:39:22
Avg pace: 28:17
Calories: 1,294
The trail is flat but parallels the McKenzie River in an old lava flow. Tough job for trail builders. The fall colors were evident. I crossed paths with many hikers but had most of the trail to myself.
I found many spots to get to the cliff edge to take some photos. Not bad compositions but a bit of repetition. I was aware that this was an "easy" hike. I wish I'd mustered the courage to tackle Black Crater. I hope there is a "next time".
The Blue Pool is a cool sight, water like a glacial pool. I saw some others on the now-dry waterfall. I continued along the rim to this spot. A couple and their dog was also going that direction. I wanted to peace & quiet. I let them go ahead. They were going to the steep trail down to the water. I'd seen a group of 4 guys at the water but never saw them come back my way.
Just before the steep descent I saw another trail heading the other way. Maybe they'd going that way.
I followed it to a rocky hillside. I didn't hear any voice but it looked doable, like scrambling up to Little Beacon Rock. At the top, the views weren't great as the tree canopy was too thick, you could hear people at Blue Pool but couldn't see it. In fact, there was a forest road that was anticlimactic, hardly the out-of-way climb it looked like from below.
I returned back to the pool and could still hear the couple with the dog. I didn't want to bother with getting to the water. I started my hike back to the car. I was good stop but not challenging enough. I got some good pictures though.
