Belknap is wonderful year-round but most enjoyable on a foggy fall day when the leaves are changing and the warm waters feel perfect with a little chill in the air. If you are lucky, you'll find the "Secret Garden" - an Instagram favorite. If you forget to bring a towel, you can rent one from the lodge for a small fee.Īfter a relaxing experience in the pool, cross the bridge for a stroll through the beautiful gardens. Its near Bigelow and Belknap Hot Springs and is commonly referred to as Cougar Hot Springs. Terwilliger Hot Springs is one of the most popular soaking spots in the Willamette National Forest. Access to the day-use pool is included for overnight guests staying in the lodge, cabins or tent and RV sites. Additionally, lodging guests get exclusive access to a second upper pool. Terwilliger (Cougar) Hot Springs, Willamette National Forest Soaking in Terwilliger Hot Springs. Inside the lodge, there is also a small market for snacks. Pay $8 for an hour or $15 for a whole day. The water from the springs across the river is pumped into a large, clean swimming pool with nearby restrooms, showers and deck chairs. I left after another 0.5 hours & the rest in the shuttle still had not showed up.Right on the edge of the McKenzie River, Belknap is the perfect place to soak if you want the healing benefits of the mineral-rich waters without the mud or skinny dippers. We had beer on the porch for over an hour before next next 2 showed up. As a point of reference, all 3 of us race in the west - not at a high level but are fit. The flattish downhills require pedaling - so you are pedaling most of the ride- unlike many rides which are pedal the uphill, no pedal the downhill - this takes its toll on your legs over the hours.ĥ) Put it all together & it is the reason most of us ride - not to be missed.īe prepared for a big ride. The first 10 miles aren't entirely technical, but when they get technical, it requires big efforts if you want to try cleaning those sections. I recommend this as a bucket list trail for several reasons:ġ) Scenery : lakes, waterfalls, the river, old growth forest (endless), lava flowsĢ) Variety : smooth, duffy sections, steep technical sections, lava flow sections (rolling technical sections), log bridges, climbs, etc.ģ) Challenge : Even though this is net downhill, there is very little of the trail that doesn't demand your attention - lots of little chicane turns around trees, little rooty, rocky sections, big drop offs / very steep cross slopes, tight tree chokes, etc. You will the McKenzie River trail on almost all top 10 trails list & this is legit. Question whether trail bikes should be allowed on this section of the trail because there are so many hikers and the users range from children to seniors. Mostly they were walking their bikes because of the rough and narrow trail but one large group of 6-8 was riding fast near the bottom and almost knocked my wife off the trail because she did not hear them coming. Lots of foot traffic on this popular and well known trail so I was surprised to see a number of trail bikers along the way. The trail continues over undulating terrain west past Paradise Campground, then past the McKenzie River Ranger Station before reaching its end the at Lower McKenzie River Trailhead. The pool itself is beautiful and well worth the hike but don't expect to cool your feet in the (very cold) water unless you're game for another 40 minutes to hike across and down to the pool. The trail crosses several more streams and follows forest roads connecting trail segments, breaking west and leveling out near Belknap Hot Springs Resort. The first third of the trail is nice and easy along the river, the next third starts to get a bit rough and climbs a bit and the last third is definitely rough and climbs over a large basalt formation with lots of twists and turns, rock outcroppings narrow passages and fewer river views. Not bad for age 70 or so with no recent hiking experience. We hiked the 4-mile+ round trip from the trailhead to the blue pool in about one hour and 5 minutes each way.
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