Nimrod to Blue River
Milepost 28.5: Thomson Lane, community center and Helfrich boat landing.
MP 29.8: Ben & Kay Dorris State Park: Donated to the state by Ben & Klysta Dorris in 1942. Dorris was president of the Blue River Mining Company in the 1890's. The Rock House, a rock overhang, where it is said pioneer road builder John Templeton Craig often stayed, is located about .5 mile east of the park entrance. If you go exploring be aware the grade is very steep to this point. Marten Rapids, best known of McKenzie River rapids, is also within the boundaries of the park. The rapids are named after T.M. Marten, state legislator, old civil war veteran and post master at Gate Creek in 1874. The park is day-use only, covers 79 acres, and has 10 picnic sites, a boat landing and public toilets. Drinking water is not available.
MP 31.7: Rennie Boat Landing.
MP 33.1: Silver Creek Boat Landing
MP 34.5: Nimrod is 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 resorts as well as the Nimrod Fire Station and Eastern Lane County Fire Protection District.
MP 35: Eagle Rock is a huge monolith located on the south side of the river.
MP 38: Howard Morton State Park is a beautiful little rest and picnic area located on the McKenzie River. It has public toilets and four picnic tables. As the entrance to the park is hard to negotiate it is best to enter when traveling westward instead of eastward.
MP 38.3: Finn Rock was named after Ben Finn, an early settler known as the "biggest liar on the McKenzie River." One story goes he was having dinner at a friend's house when two strangers came to the door and were invited in to join the others at the table. Ben began boasting about having killed 24 deer, 3 cougars and 6 bear the day before. One of the strangers spoke up and said, "Do you know who I am?" Ben declared no, he did not. "Well," said the stranger, "I'm the new game warden." "Well," said Ben, "I'm the biggest liar on the McKenzie." In other stories Ben presented a good case about how he was the prototype for Mark Twain's Huck Finn. The area near the rock is now a great place to stop for a picnic. There is easy access to the river and a general store/cafe is located here. Boat landings are located on both the south and north sides of the river.
MP 41.3: Blue River is a community nestled beside a river of the same name. It was settled in the 1800's by the Sparks family. In 1863, gold was discovered in the area and the Blue River Mining District was established. At one time more than 250 men were working the area. In 1900 Samuel Sparks and his sons laid out the town of Blue River as part of 320 acres they had acquired. By 1912 gold mining activity had virtually stopped but records show the Lucky Boy Mine had extracted more than $1 million from the area. Now Blue River is home to the McKenzie School District, Blue River Park, Blue River Ranger District, a library, a general store & liquor Shop, beauty salon, a bed and breakfast, an RV park, an auto repair shop, a market, laundromat, clinic, boat landing, fire department, church, post office, and the Blue River Dam. There is a great viewpoint and hiking area from the top of the dam on Blue River Road. Be sure and stop in at the ranger station for info on the area's attractions and fees and permits for camping and trail head parking.
MP 44.3: Blue River Road #15: Gateway to the beginning of a recreational wonderland. There is a great campground at Mona, north end of Blue River Reservoir. The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, one of 15 major ecosystem research sites in the United States, is nearby. Road #15 also leads to Wolf Rock, reputed to be the largest monolith in Oregon and the third largest in the world. It rises from an elevation of less than 3,600 feet at the base to over 4,500 feet. Another feature of this area is the 1.5 mile Lookout Creek Old-growth Trail, which provides hikers with a classic old-growth experience.
MP 45.9: Aufderheide Drive: One of the McKenzie's two National Scenic By Ways. This road leads the traveler through some of the most spectacular countryside imaginable. (Be sure and pick up the free-for-loan audio cassette from the Blue River Ranger District for a mile by mile description of this unique roadway). The .5 mile Delta Old-Growth Nature Trail features interpretive displays and some 500 year old giants nearly 250 feet tall. The Forest Service gives free nature talks here from July through August.
Be sure to stop at the viewpoint of 452 foot Cougar Dam, which was built in 1964 and is a rock filled structure over 1,500 feet long. Further along is Terwilliger Hot Springs, a very popular spot in the summer months. Be aware that some bathers in this area will be naked while enjoying one of the five pools.
There are parking, camping, and springs user fees for this area. After crossing the West End Bridge you travel past the French Pete Wilderness Addition. Permits are required to visit the wilderness and can be obtained at the ranger stations. In this area are many beautiful campgrounds, hiking trails and scenic vistas as the road winds its way up to Box Canyon Guard Station. Continuing on the road eventually leads to the cities of West Fir and Oakridge.
