McKenzie Pass closed for winter

It's a sure sign of winter for folks living in the Sisters country: The Oregon Department of Transportation has closed the scenic McKenzie Pass Highway as of noon, Friday, November 8.

The McKenzie Highway between Springfield and Sisters is only open during the summer travel season. It opened July 3 this year.

The longest open period occurred in 1934 when the highway was open for 250 days. The shortest open period was in 1999 when the highway was open for only 90 days. The highway has closed as early as October 18 (in 1996) or as late as January 10 (in 1939). The earliest opening date was March 21 in 1934 and the latest opening was July 29 in 1999.

Built in the mid-1930s, the highway became a seasonal scenic highway in the 1960s with the completion of the Clear Lake-Belknap Springs section of Highway 126. Even during its tenure as the main route between the southern Willamette Valley and Central Oregon, the narrow, twisting roadway and high elevation (5,325 feet) made the highway too difficult to maintain and keep clear during the winter months.

During the summer, about 300 cars a day travel the highway between the Highway 126 junction on the west and Sisters on the east.

In contrast, thousands of cars cross the Santiam Pass daily.