WESTFIR, Ore — Many Oregon roadways are busy blurs, but there’s one that forces drivers to slow down and enjoy the sights and sounds of the changing seasons.
This week’s getaway takes us down the country’s oldest national scenic byway in the Oregon Cascade Mountains.
If the roadway flanking the South Fork McKenzie River has a number, I don’t care to find it on a map. That’s because I've got such a love affair with this backdoor byway that takes a bit longer to get where it's going.
The best place to start is the McKenzie River Ranger District office at McKenzie Bridge, Oregon, where visitors can pick up an audio CD that accompanies the Robert Aufderheide Scenic Byway.
“Bring your camera and take plenty of pictures,” said Meg Trendler, a Lane County Travel spokesperson. She added, “You need to make sure your gas tank is filled, because there are no stations from start to finish and there is no cell service either, but that’s okay by me.”
This drive parallels both the South Fork of the McKenzie River and the North Fork of the Willamette River, with views to cascading streams and large, old growth Douglas fir trees. The paved, two-lane road ranges in elevation from 1,052 to 3,728 feet, with many turnouts for scenic viewing and access to backcountry recreation.
The audio tour will lead travelers down a byway that rambles along for 60 miles, where countless tiny creeks trickle across spongy moss-covered rocks throughout the two river basins that the route passes through. The drive can take two hours, an entire day, a never-lonesome week, or an entire lifetime, as there are campsites galore along the way.
The South Fork of the McKenzie River is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system and provides opportunities for catching rainbow and cutthroat trout. As the water handsprings over unseen rocks, leaves drop to placid pools where barely a ripple marks the moment.
Watch for a roadside replica of an old log station near the summit of the drive, while just across the way visitors will find a monument to Robert Aufderheide’s memory. Aufderheide was a federal forester with vision, who prized recreation and rivers and the little surprises that nature provides — so it's no surprise that folks who roll on two wheels love this place too.
Nearby, watch for the self-guided trail that leads through stunning “Constitution Grove.” It’s a grove of old growth trees named such by the US Forest Service in celebration for the signing of the Constitution’s 200th anniversary in July of 1987. That’s significant, because many of the trees in the grove are more than 200 years old.
Soon, visitors will reach the north fork of the Willamette River, a stream that holds surprises at this time of year and is worth a gander. Watch for the husky salmon that have muscled their way back to home waters. Driven by biology, the spawning fish are yet another sign that summer has passed and now it is fall.
It's the colorful, wonderful show along this back road that I cherish the most; a chance to witness big-leaf maples, mottled with brown or gray, whose leaves sometime fall gently, gliding past my way. And oh, to be by an orange maple, the brightest of Oregon’s autumnal colors: the searing orange of vine maple. At times, the fallen leaves collect in mountainous piles along the roadway.
The cap to this day-long adventure is the short drive through the long bridge at West Fir, Oregon. At 180 feet, “Office Bridge” is the longest covered bridge in the Oregon and marks the end of the line.
It’s a roadway whose prime time is passing, so hurry soon and then slow down on a back road without a number — one of the very best around.
Be sure to watch the weekly half hour program of Grant’s Getaways. The show airs each Saturday and Sunday at 4pm on KGW.
For something different, you can follow my Oregon adventures via the Grant’s Getaways Podcast: Each segment is a story-telling session where I relate behind the scenes stories from four decades of travel and television reporting.
You can also learn more about many of my favorite Oregon travels and adventures in the Grant’s Getaways book series, including:
- "Grants Getaways I," Photography by Steve Terrill
- "Grant's Getaways II," Photography by Steve Terrill
- “Grant’s Getaways: 101 Oregon Adventures,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Guide to Wildlife Watching in Oregon,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Oregon Adventures with the Kids,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
The book collection offers hundreds of outdoor activities across Oregon and promises to engage a kid of any age.
You can reach me at Gmcomie@kgw.com.