Vicki and I visited McKenzie Pass and explored where the PCT crosses the highway, then continued east a short way to visit the Dee Wright Observatory and the Lava River Trail.
Well, over a week had passed since we were thwarted by the still-closed-for-winter McKenzie Scenic Highway, and after a fun road trip down the Oregon Coast, it was time to revisit the now-open-for-summer highway. So we headed northeast from the California border in the car. We were planning on camping for at least another week before heading back to San Diego, so on the way north we visited a Love’s Truck Stop to take a shower. It truly felt great to be clean, and then we continued onward toward McKenzie Pass. It was a multi-hour drive.
It was already late afternoon by the time we made it to the Scenic Highway. We decided that we should camp somewhere on the west side of the summit, and visit the actual pass tomorrow morning. We found a good spot in the Obsidian Campground. This trailhead leads to Obsidian Falls, which is a very popular trail, and now requires a permit even for day hikes. The round trip to the falls was a bit longer than Vicki and I wanted to attempt, so we didn’t worry about permits. We were just happy that there were spots in the National Forest campground for us to use. Our first choice of campsite was chock full of hungry mosquitoes, so we drove away in a hurry. I eventually chose a spot out in the open within the equestrian campground. There aren’t many horse riders accessing the backcountry these days, so the place was totally empty. Just the way we like it. Vicki cooked up some dinner and we retired into the car to sleep. Even though we didn’t do much, it had been a very long day.
The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and put the car in order. Off to McKenzie Pass!
The first stop was the Pacific Crest Trail intersection and trailhead. Vicki stayed in the car while I took a short hike in either direction, both north and south. There was a big lava flow to the south near the highway. The northbound path wended its way through a pine forest, while the southern route was very rocky, with sharp-edged lava chunks on either side of the path. The footing was often composed of smaller lava rocks, and wasn’t much fun. If I was backpacking here I would want it to be over with as soon as possible..
After that, it was time to visit the much more touristy part of McKenzie Pass: The Dee Wright Observatory. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t what I discovered. Even the Forest Service calls it “unusual and historic.” It was a stone tower that commanded an excellent view of the surrounding area, built by the CCC during the Great Depression. Up on top is a brass peak finder and inside the tower are labelled holes formed within the walls, each of which points toward various peaks, like the Three Sisters, Belknap Crater, and Mount Washington. Weird yet cool, and definitely historic. According to the website, NASA brought their moon-landing astronauts up here to train, back in 1964, because all this raw lava was as close as they could get to artificial moonscape.
Vicki headed further east on the paved path next to the highway, while I walked back to bring the car forward a short ways, to the next parking spot. Our plan was to take a short day hike on the Lava River Trail, which wandered for a half mile through a lava flow. This was also very touristy, and had a number of interpretive signs along the route which explained the geological features.
As we started to drive away, I saw a lake and campground on the map. We pulled in to investigate. It was called Lava Camp Lake. I have a feeling that the CCC camped here while building the observatory, and also the road itself.
As we headed downhill toward the town of Sisters, Oregon we noticed that a lot of the land had been burned in the recent past. New growth was coming up now that the pines were no longer providing shade, so it was both bleak and green with life. Life and Death, a land in contrast. After that, we reentered the pine forest that we expected to see in Oregon, and then we arrived in the town.
We didn’t need gas, so we continued driving through Sisters, and turned south on Highway 20. We saw horses in meadows, and the Three Sisters Volcanoes were on display, with pretty clouds and blue skies. It was a lovely day to be on the road.
After that, it was time to head back to California! We still had two major Cascade Volcanoes left to visit: Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen. After that, it would be time to head on home. If we didn’t get stuck trout fishing in the Eastern Sierra Nevada by accident!
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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