TERWILLIGER HOT SPRINGS: aka Cougar Hot Springs, Willamette National Forest

Click here for a nice little video of the hot springs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6tMByQsyM#t=135

Terwilliger Hot Springs, also known as Cougar Hot Springs, is a must-go destination, off the beaten path, if you find yourself in Eugene Oregon, or passing through, its worth the side drive to and soak if you have the time. In fact, damn it,  you should just make the time, you only live twice right?  We were avoiding an icy drive to Bend, OR from Portland, and decided totake the extra long route and head south to Eugene, and head eastbound on Highway 126 (McKenzie Highway) to Bend. We figured it would be the perfect opportunity to sneak in a snowy soak in the hot springs! We still found plenty of snow and ice, but missed the bad stuff. The road to Cougar Resorvoir from HWY 126 (FS-19), gains elevation quite quickly, and if its during the winter, be prepared for snow! It's a beautiful drive, but there's not much of a barrier on those edges, so make sure you are in a rig suitable for the elements.

The first picture is from the parking lot, with a bathroom, and a great view of the reservoir, from there you walk back down the road, over the bridge, to the trail head marker, and fee box. There is sometimes an attendant working the kiosk, otherwise put your $6 (fee price may change), in the box. 

Then hike about 1/4 mile in to the hot springs, there is a covered area to change, (or strip), depending on your fancy. This is a clothing optional hot spring, FYI. We only saw one other couple in the lot, and they were just heading home, other than that we had the place to ourselves! It was so beautiful with all the fresh snow, and the water was perfect. We stayed in the top pool, as they get cooler as they go down, and the warmer the better in my book! Especially on such a chilly day.

Directions Taken from The Friends of Cougar website:

From I-5 or Eugene/Springfield, travel east 45 miles on highway 126 (the McKenzie Highway). 5 miles after Blue River, you'll pass the mile post 45 sign. A half mile later, see the sign for Cougar Reservoir and turn right on FS 19.

From Bend, travel west on highway 20. After 20 miles you will pass through Sisters. After the Santiam Pass, you will stay on highway 20 when highway 22 splits off. Soon after, turn left onto highway 126. After another 40-50 miles you will see the sign announcing McKenzie Bridge. 3 miles later, you'll see Harbick's Country Store on your left. This is the only gas between Sisters and Cougar. Continuing west from Harbick's, go another 2 miles until you see the signs pointing to Cougar Reservoir. Turn left on FS19. (see above for directions once on FS19).

On FS 19 you are entering the Willamette Forest. Turn right at the stop sign. After 4 miles, you will pass the dam on your left. Continue on FS 19. Another 4 miles later, on your right you will pass a trail head sign that says "Terwilliger Hot Springs," the waterfall and lagoon on your right and the parking lot on your left. Park there. Walk to the trailhead (100 yards) when you can pay at the kiosk there.

From the trailhead hike 1/4 mile into the Hot Springs located in the forest.

Ramona Falls...kind of

http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Ramona_Falls_Hike

We walked in the general direction of Ramona Falls for a while, but were thwarted by the Sandy River crossing. The bridge was out for the season, as it was early December, but we thought we may be able to cross using on of the many log jams. We decided this was too dangerous when we saw that most of the logs had 4" of ice on them. Would have been fine with just two-legged hikers, but wasn't worth it for woodsmen of the 4-legged variety. We will definitely get back in the spring!


Tim and the hounds. Much of the first portion of the hike is along the glacier-scoured Sandy River. This damage occurred during the 2006 glacial outburst. Amazing how powerful nature can be.

Virg and Maggie in the debris field. See all the ice on that log?

Ramona is another hole in my hiking resume. As soon as the dogs can join, we'll head back up there, although it was nice being the only one on the trail!

Trillium Lake

We took a quick trip out to Trillium Lake around Thanksgiving, so we could get a loop in before they closed the access road. The road was real icy, but we were able to get in/out with no real problems. We lucked out on a real nice day, so we took the opportunity to take some photos for our xmas cards. Great day! We did the one mile loop around, which I've never actually done. Here's a few I-Phone shots. (Speaking of which, the resolution of these Iphone photos looks terrible on the web...will start lugging SLR around)

South side of Trillium:

ANGELS REST: Popular for Good Reason

http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Angels_rest

Angels Rest is a very popular hiking destination for Northwest natives, as well as tourists, it is along a belt of well traveled hikes along the south side of the gorge, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The hike itself is 4.8 miles round trip, and the spectacular views at the top are what makes it so well loved, it is quite breathtaking, even on a foggy day, it's heavenly, and you should definitely see it for yourself!

A heads up for hikers with canines, the trail is dog friendly (though there is a sign to leash your dogs at the trailhead). However, depending on how "cliff friendly" your dog is, you may want to leash them at the top because there are cliff sides and drop offs that would most definitely be a fatal fall for humans and dogs. Maggie will jump off anything for the right sized pica or bird, so we leash her at the top! Bring the kids and the whole family on this hike, it's by no means difficult, and you won't regret it!

Taken from Portland Hikers Field Guide :"If you want a longer hike, you may visit Devil's Rest, a forested summit about 850 feet above Angel's Rest (just head up on the main trail away from the river, and keep right at the junction at 0.2 miles). Although there are no views at Devil's Rest, it is a pleasant forest walk - and an added exercise. Or you may do even longer Angel's Rest-Devil's Rest Loop Hike and visit a couple of great viewpoints just off-trail east of Devil's Rest."

View looking westbound not quite to the top

This area is running wild with picas!

My Maggles

Jefferson Park Via South Breitenbush Trailhead

http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Jefferson_Park

Wow. Jefferson Park is unbelievable. My friend Dale and I did this as an overnighter. The hounds stayed at home because it would be a little much for them. If you want a truly incredible backpacking experience, I could not recommend Jefferson Park highly enough.

There are several ways to reach Jefferson Park. Click the PHFG link above for the details on that. No need to go over it here. I'm not sure why we picked this particular trailhead, as it is considered to be the least scenic and most difficult approach. The hike was fairly difficult, but was quite lovely in my opinion. I'll will hopefully be making this an annual destination, so I'll try other approaches in the future, so that I can compare and find my favorite.

The bottom portion of the trail goes through some thick forest, but quickly changes to sub-alpine meadows about halfway through. Using this approach, you get glimpses of Jefferson over the ridge every now an then. The meadows must be great when the wildflowers are in bloom. They were absolutely covered in ripe blueberries when I visited on an unseasonably warm mid-September day.

This shot was taken just as we descended down into Jefferson Park itself. Pictures don't do this place justice (especially Iphone photos). It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and I was already planning my next trip before I even set up my tent!

Here you'll find the Poler one-man tent in the wild, where it belongs.

There are five lakes in Jefferson Park. We stayed on the open shore of Scout Lake. It was a super clear night and we were able to view several shooting stars. The next morning after breakfast we went for a swim in Bay's Lake. This is the most scenic lake, in my opinion. It's deep, clear, and super refreshing on a hot day.  





This is a must-do Oregon hike.

Oneonta Gorge

http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Oneonta_Gorge_Hike

The Gorge has such a wealth of hiking/backpacking opportunities, that I often skip the more popular trails/destination thinking that they will be too crowded. One of the great advantages of having weekday availability, is being able to experience awesome places such as Lower Oneonta Falls while most everybody else is at work. This might be my new favorite swimming hole in Oregon.


The "hike" is a 1 mile there-and-back, but it is rated as difficult for two reasons. Here is the first:

  

There is a large log jam at the beginning of the trail that you have to scramble over. I wouldn't recommend this for dogs or people who aren't so sure on their feet. I've heard the logs can be unstable at times, so definitely exercise caution here.

 

The second reason is this:

 

  

The hike isn't really on a trail at all, but rather one must follow a shallow-ish stream all the way to the falls. The stream is in a gorge, so there is no way to avoid getting wet. The deepest part in mid summer will about chest deep on an average-sized adult. If it's a hot day it will feel great, and the payoff is worth it.

 

The hike ends .5 miles from the log jam at Lower Oneonta Falls, seen here. The water gets much deeper here, so you can swim right up to the falls if you like. It's amazingly beautiful and a great way to spend a weekday afternoon.





Golf Camp!

Virginia sat out a few adventures that I (Tim) took either solo or with others, so the next few posts will be Virginia-less and dogless (Chloe the Basset is limited, so if the hike is difficult/long, she has to stay home, where she can lounge and bark and fart to her heart's content.)

My east coast buddy and I took a week long golf/camp trip across Oregon. We didn't get a whole lot of hiking in, but got to see a lot of this  beautiful state...such as:

Swimming in the Mckenzie River! This was the first week of August and it was absolutely freezing. We camped up The Aufderheide, and made our way to Terwilliger Hot Springs in the AM.

 

 

Golfing in rad places! This is my favorite course in Oregon. It's called Buffalo Peak and is located in Union, OR. I would highly recommend the Union Bagel Shop on E. Electric St. Best bagels I've had on the west coast. If ya don't know, now ya know.

 

 

 

Painted Hills! This might sound dumb, but I've driven through Mitchell, OR about a half dozen times and couldn't find the painted hills. But, I succeeded this time.

 

 



More golf! This is from the South Fork Golf Course which you need to go to to truly appreciate it. It has an honor box out front, a weird layout, and it's a hidden gem. If you want a manicured, cater-to-your-every-need golf course, don't stop here. If you want to drink a Bud and get to know the owner who built his own golf course in the vein of Field of Dreams, this is your spot. Par 3, by the way.

 

 

One of the hikes that we did do was Strawberry Lake from Strawberry Campground. It's a short 2.6 mile there and back that is totally worth your while if you happen to be staying at the campground. Even better, park at Strawberry Campground and hike up and set up shop right on the lake. The lake sits at about 6,200 ft, so it can get a bit chilly at night, and fires are generally prohibited in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness all dry season, so bundle up. Also, the FS 6001 road is pretty slow going, but it passed the 2007 Ford Focus test.

 

 

 

I definitely will be back to this area to do some exploring. Golf Camp 2013 was rad, and I hope it will become a tradition.