Hike from Fish Lake to Carmen Reservoir

Many local hikers have enjoyed parts of this trail system, but few have hiked it all at once. Clear Lake, Sahalie Falls, and Koosah Falls are popular spots to visit by vehicle; but a hike from Fish Lake to Carmen Reservoir incorporates all these attractions and more.

It's only about 6.7 miles from Fish Lake to Carmen Reservoir, and there are other options to make it longer or shorter. This trail is part of the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, which extends more than 26 miles from Fish Lake to McKenzie Bridge; so, there is a lot of trail here if you want more.

We left a car at Carmen Reservoir and drove back to start at Fish Lake. The first option to make the hike shorter is to skip Fish Lake. The actual trailhead begins about a mile south of the Fish Lake parking lot. There really is no trail between Fish Lake and the Fish Lake Creek Trail, so it is necessary to walk along the road or beat brush.

Early in the season, Fish Lake overflows into Fish Lake Creek, which runs into Clear Lake. Late in the season, both Fish Lake and the creek are dry. Subterranean springs beneath the lava flows supply the water for the system that gives rise to the McKenzie River.

The Fish Lake Creek Trail begins off Forest Road 2676, near the spot where the Santiam Wagon Road crosses Highway 126. The well-established trail runs due south for a mile to a solid, log-railed foot bridge. From this point, hikers can choose to pass down either side of Clear Lake.

We chose to cross the bridge and follow the trail along the eastern shore of the lake. The excellent trail around the lake is nearly flat, except for some incidental ups and downs in the lava rock on the southeast portion; and most of that section is paved!

Living up to the lake's name, the intensely blue waters are so clear that you can see trees submerged when lava flows created the lake 3,000 years ago. These aren't petrified trees or lava casts; they're the real thing. The waters of Clear Lake are so cold that the microorganisms that cause wood to rot cannot survive.

Thousands of vine maples encircle the lake and provide brilliant red and yellow colors in the fall. The vegetation is quite foreign to those of us who live at the edge of the High Desert. Giant fir trees, some more than 20 feet in circumference, grace the forest. Big-leaf maple, hazelnut, golden chinkapin and cascara are found all along this hike. 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.

Great Springs is a unique feature that lies just a half-mile beyond the bridge. These springs give birth to Clear Lake itself, pumping 43-degree water into the lake all year long. This deep blue pool near the northeast corner of the lake is a must-see.

From Great Springs it's 2.2 miles to the lake's outlet and your first view of the newborn McKenzie River. A little more than another half-mile will take you across Highway 126 and bring you to the north end of the Sahalie and Koosah Falls Loop Trail. Here we crossed another log bridge to follow the trail down the less-traveled west side of the river.

As the trail heads downstream, it passes above Sahalie Falls, where the river seems to just disappear beneath your feet. From this point, it's about half a mile to Koosah Falls, but there is a lesser-known attraction on the way. Lower Sahalie Falls cannot be seen from any highway viewpoint and is visible only to hikers. The falls in this area were all created by the same lava flows that created Clear Lake.

Beyond Koosah Falls, the McKenzie River Trail veers off to the right at the base of a giant eight-foot-thick fir. We took the fork to the left; and, within about 100 yards, we were back where we left the other car at the north edge of Carmen Reservoir, part of Eugene's Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project.

Another option for a longer hike is to park a single car at any point along the route and hike both the Clear lake and Sahalie Falls Loops and the short connector trail for a total of about 9.5 miles. This isn't an all-year trail, but it can be hiked during the "shoulder seasons" on either side of summer's high country trail season, usually from May to November.

This trail system is easy to reach by taking Highway 20 west over Santiam Pass. Turn left at the Santiam "Y," and three miles later take Highway 126 left toward Eugene. Fish Lake is another mile and half on the right, and the turnoff for the Fish Lake Creek Trailhead is another half-mile on the left. The turnoff to Carmen Reservoir is on the right, beyond Clear Lake, 5.5 miles from the Eugene turnoff.