Forest Route 46 | |
|---|---|
| Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway | |
 Cascade lakes Scenic Byway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Oregon Department of Transportation | |
| Length | 66 mi[1] (106 km) |
| Restrictions | Closed December–March |
| Major junctions | |
| North end |  US 97 in Bend |
| South end |  OR 58 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Oakridge |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| Counties | Deschutes & Klamath |
| Highway system | |
The Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway (Forest Route 46) is a National Scenic Byway in central Oregon in the United States. It runs for 66 miles (106 km) in the rugged country of Deschutes and Klamath counties on the east side of the Cascade Range. It offers particularly good views of Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, and the Three Sisters (Oregon) mountains and provides access to many recreational facilities in central Oregon. The route is so named because it weaves past a number of small natural lakes along the Cascades as well as several reservoirs on the upper Deschutes River.
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Transcription
Sparkling rivers, magnificent waterfalls, a lava field, and an historic remount station all in store on this Accessible Adventure in the Pacific Northwest. Hi there I'm John Williams, join me for a trip along a beautiful scenic byway in the Willamette National Forest. The McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass National Scenic Byway is an 82 mile loop, but for this adventure, we'll concentrate on the McKenzie River Valley and the route's western segment. 50 miles east of Springfield on highwy 126 it's the McKenzie River Ranger District office and Scenic Byway Portal. The US Forest Service is on hand with information and advise to make your trip a pleasant one. A short drive from the Byway Portal we find the McKenzie River Viewpoint. There's a viewing area, right on the river just a short hike down this trail. Our next two sites are show stoppers! Breathtaking waterfalls just a mile a part. The Chinook Indian Peaople named the falls Koosah which means sky, and Sahalie meaning heaven. Here at Koosah the flat rock entrance to the pathway is an obstacle and the gravel pathway to the falls is steep and not suitable for wheelchairs. Sahalie Falls is much more accessible with an easy access along a paved pathway to an accessible viewing deck. A few miles east of Sahlie Falls it's Fish Lake. The lake disappears in the summertime but returns in the fall. And don't worry about the fish they swim upstream and return when the lake fills back up again. Be sure to take the short hike to view the historic remount station built in the mid 1800's as a way station along the Santiam Wagon Road. The pathway is difficult in a manual chair powerchairs and more mobile hikers will find it an easy short walk. In later years the Forest Service used it as a ranger outpost and constructed many of the now historic buildings in the 1920's and 30's. The entire remount station was just listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A 22 mile scenic drive along highway 242 brings us to the Dee Wright Observatory. Built during the Great Depression by the CCC and named for the construction crews' foreman. The US Forest Service has done a great job here to make it accessible. Follow the pathway to the observatory. From the observatory views of the lava fields and surrounding mountains. And then venture out onto the lava fields on the Lava River Interpretive Trail which is also accessible. The road to the observatory has weather restrictions so be sure to check the Willamette National Forest website for details. And you can see all of our Accessible Adventures videos right here. I'm John Williams I'll see you next time!
Route description
The northern terminus of the route is in Bend where it changes into NW Century Drive. It follows the two-lane Century Drive Highway west into the Deschutes National Forest and past the Mt. Bachelor Ski Area, then south along the Cascades into northern Klamath County, where it terminates on its southern end at its junction with Oregon Route 58, approximately 40 mi (64 km) southeast of Oakridge.[1] Along the way, Century Drive (not the Century Drive Highway) turns east to Sunriver.
The Century Drive Highway begins at an interchange with US 97 (the Bend Parkway) in Bend. It heads west along Colorado Avenue and Century Drive, which it follows to the entrance to the Mount Bachelor Ski Resort, where Century Drive Highway ends.
The Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway continues south along the west side of Mount Bachelor. Beyond Mount Bachelor Ski Area, the byway passes Todd Lake, Sparks Lake, Devils Lake, Elk Lake, Hosmer Lake, Lava Lake, Little Lava Lake, and Cultus Lake.[2] South of Crane Prairie Reservoir, the two routes split, with the scenic byway continuing to head south towards its terminus at Oregon Route 58. Century Drive instead heads back to the east, north of the Wickiup Reservoir, and then heads northeast parallel to the western shore of the Deschutes River. It eventually crosses the river, runs north for several miles, and then terminates at an intersection with US 97 near the resort community of Sunriver.
References
- ^ a b "Central Oregon:Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway". Archived from the original on 2008-07-23.
- ^ "The Cascade Lakes", Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway Tour of Interpretive Sites, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, District of Columbia, 2010.
External links
- Info from National Scenic Byways Program
- Map and driving directions
- Map and driving directions from Bend, Oregon
This page was last edited on 13 August 2023, at 07:27