Explore McKenzie waterfalls

When snow begins to creep into the high country, there's no need to stop hiking. Some of the best hikes can be in the beautiful days of fall. Plus, you'll find the trails less crowded because most people wrongly conclude that the hiking season is over. That's their loss.

Last week, we toured the headwaters of the McKenzie River at Clear Lake, and that will continue to be a great fall hike for a while yet. This week we'll drop another 200 feet in elevation and venture a mile south to the McKenzie River Waterfalls Loop Trail.

You can hike to the falls from Clear Lake if you choose. It's all part of the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, which extends more than 26 miles from Fish Lake to McKenzie Bridge. The Loop Trail features Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls and other lesser-known falls in between.

The other falls are so "lesser known" that the first two Forest Service employees I met at the McKenzie River Ranger Station denied that any other falls existed. Eventually, I found someone who suggested that maybe the mystery falls were Lower Sahalie Falls. Sahalie and Koosah Falls are accessible by road, but the only way to see these other falls is to take the Loop Trail.

The trail can be accessed at multiple locations, and I chose the Sahalie Falls viewpoint. I recommend heading upstream on the trail that leaves from the parking lot. It's okay, however, to first sneak a peek at the falls from the viewing platform. It's only a few yards away. The falls on this hike were created by lava flows 3,000 years ago. Information signs in the parking lot explain the geological history.

The route takes the hiker counterclockwise around the loop and immediately enters a lush mixed forest with many deciduous trees now turning to fall colors. Douglas squirrels barked their high-pitched displeasure at my intrusion.

Vine maple and sword ferns abound. Big leaf maple, hazelnut, golden chinkapin and cascara are also present. The bark of the latter can be used as a laxative! Conifers include Douglas fir, grand fir, Pacific silver fir, western red cedar, western hemlock, and the little Pacific yew - the source of tamoxifen, a pharmaceutical used to combat breast cancer.

The trail also makes its way to the top of Sahalie Falls, and there are good views there, too. Follow the trail upriver for a half-mile to an excellent log bridge with handrails. Here, the Loop Trail shares the crossing with the southbound McKenzie River Trail.

Once across, follow the river downstream and keep an eye out on the right for a very large log sawn through to clear the trail. Note the pile of fresh sawdust on the trail. Then note that the cut in the log is years, perhaps decades, old. So, why the fresh sawdust? Look closer at a crack in the center of the log; and you can see little sawyers at work, as carpenter ants cut deeper into the log, one tiny grain of wood at a time.

Farther downriver, there comes a point where the river seems to just disappear. This, of course, is the top of Sahalie Falls, which you already explored from the other side. Take time to enjoy the different views of the falls that parking lot visitors will never see.

Continuing downstream, the river is occasionally out of sight but never out of earshot. So, keep your ears alert or you may miss the "mystery falls" that suddenly come into view over your left shoulder. Farther down the trail, Koosah Falls provides a multitude of photographic opportunities.

Rhododendrons in this area grow 12-15 feet high. A short distance farther downstream, the McKenzie River Trail veers off to the right at the base of a giant eight-foot-thick fir. Take the fork to the left and, within about 100 yards, the trail dumps out onto the gravel road skirting the north edge of Carmen Reservoir, part of the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project. But more about that in next week's hike!

Turn left and cross the river on the vehicle bridge. A sign on a tree will point you back to the trail. From here, it's less than a mile back to Sahalie Falls (via Koosah Falls) on this easy four-mile loop. This is a good hike for children, with lots of natural interests along the way.

This hike is 34 miles west of Sisters and is easy to reach. Take Highway 20 west over the pass and turn left at the Santiam "Y". Three miles later, take Highway 126 left toward Eugene for another five miles. The Sahalie Falls parking area is on the right. This trail is "advertised" as usually snow-free from April through November. Roadside viewpoints at both major falls are wheelchair accessible.