Tamolitch Falls and the Blue Pool, McKenzie River (bobcat)

Footbridge on the McKenzie River Trail (bobcat)

Hiking through the lava, McKenzie River Trail (bobcat)

Looking down into the Blue Pool (bobcat)

Clifftop view up the McKenzie River (bobcat)

The route to Tamolitch Pool on the McKenzie National Recreation Trail (not a GPS track) (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo/USFS

• Start point: Tamolitch Blue Pool Trailhead
• End point: Tamolitch Pool
• Hike Type: In and out
• Distance: 4.2 miles
• Elevation gain: 350 feet
• High point: 2,405 feet
• Difficulty: Easy
• Seasons: Mid-spring through fall
• Family Friendly: Yes
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: Yes

Hike Description

Sixteen hundred years ago, the Belknap Crater belched forth a lava flow that filled the McKenzie River valley for a stretch of several miles. The river then carved its way over and under the rock to plunge over a 50-foot waterfall into the startlingly limpid Tamolitch Pool, also known as the Blue Pool. In the drier months of the year, water simply percolated through the lava layers and issued forth into the pool, while the substantial rains of winter and spring resulted in the reappearance of Tamolitch Falls. This all changed in 1963, when the Carmen Reservoir was constructed on the McKenzie below Koosah Falls. A diversion tunnel takes much of the McKenzie’s flow through a mountain ridge to the Smith Reservoir on the Smith River, part of the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project. These days Tamolitch Falls only flows at times of exceptional rainfall or snow melt, but Tamolitch Pool continues to be a very popular destination, especially on summer weekends.

Note that access to Tamolitch Pool is via the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, which is also used by mountain bikers. Snow levels here vary from year to year, so the trail can sometimes be accessible in winter. A quieter but longer way to reach Tamolitch Pool is from the Carmen Reservoir Trailhead – 7 ½ miles round-trip – but this route, while negotiating lovely old-growth forest, is not accompanied by views of the McKenzie River, which flows under the lava in this section of its course.

From the parking area, hike up the forest road about 40 yards to the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail #3507. Head right into an old-growth forest of large Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western red-cedar. Vine maple and big-leaf maple burnish the understory in the fall. The trail drops to the level of the rushing McKenzie River, where you cross a creek that issues from a substantial spring. Hike through a ferny bottomland, and cross a curving footbridge over a creek that pours forth from an even bigger spring. Rise to gets views from a lava cliff across the river, where you’ll note the aftereffects of the 2016 Blue Top Fire.

The trail then begins to wind through moss and lichen-covered lava outcroppings. Watch out for mountain bikers in this area as the route is narrow. Pass through a vine maple and hazel thicket to arrive at the first of several high viewpoints over the surging river. Incense cedars become part of the forest mix. You’ll arrive at the cliffs above the Blue Pool, where the McKenzie pours through the underground channels into this cold and crystal clear oasis. The pool is actually 30 feet deep in the middle, but appears deceptively shallow. Bear in mind that water temperatures vary between 37 and 42 degrees, cold enough to induce sudden shock if you decide to take a dip. There have been several deaths and serious injuries here over the years.

The lip of the dry Tamolitch Falls can be reached by a quick scramble, and the shore of the pool can be accessed by a short path that descends from above the egress. In Chinook jargon, tamolitch means “bucket.”

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: McKenzie River Ranger District
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Willamette National Forest
• Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series: Willamette Cascades
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Jefferson - Mount Washington

Regulations or Restrictions, etc.

• Restrooms, information kiosk, nearby campground
• Share trail with mountain bikers

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Tamolitch Pool Hike

• Tamolitch, Sahalie, and Koosah Falls 9-16-19
• Trip Reports---Back Log :)
• Tamolitch “BluePool” – McKenzie River
• Tamolitch Falls 4/3/17
• Proxy/BluePool/Koosah/Sahalie/GreatSpring/Clear Lake 5/2&5/3
• Shortcut to Blue Pool/Tamolitch Falls
• McKenzie River Trail 3/7/2015
• Proxy, Tamolitch, Sahalie, Koosah, McKenzie 1/20&21
• Blue Pool/ Sahalie/ Koosah/McKenzie/Clear Lake 5/13&14
• Clear Lake, Proxy, Blue Pool, Sahalie, Koosah Falls 4/22-23
• Clear Lake/Sahalie/Koosah/Blue Pool 9/24 & 25
• Tamolitch Pool, McKenzie River Trail, 6/7/2011
• McKenzie River “Blue Pool” hike

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Tamolitch Pool Hike

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• Best Easy Day Hikes: Eugene, Oregon by Art Bernstein & Lynn Bernstein
• Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson & Zach Urness
• Day Hikes in the Pacific Northwest by Don J. Scarmuzzi
• 100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades by William L. Sullivan
• Trips & Trails: Oregon by William L. Sullivan
• Oregon Favorites: Trails & Tales by William L. Sullivan
• Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon by Rhonda & George Ostertag
• Hiking Oregon’s Central Cascades by Bruce Grubbs
• Hiking Oregon’s Three Sisters Country by Bruce Grubbs
• Best Old-growth Forest Hikes: Washington & Oregon Cascades by John & Diane Cissel
• 50 Old-Growth Hikes in the Willamette National Forest by John & Diane Cissel
• A Walking Guide to Oregon’s Ancient Forests by Wendell Wood
• Oregon’s Southern Cascades: Camping & Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill
• Oregon Nature Weekends by Jim Yuskavitch
• Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
• Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
• Trail Running: Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
• Mountain Biking Oregon: Northwest and Central Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
• Mountain Bike Bend by Katy Bryce
• Kissing the Trail by John Zilly

More Links

• Tamolitch Falls (Blue Pool) #3507 (USFS)
• McKenzie River Trailhead: Tamolitch Blue Pool (USFS)
• McKenzie River National Recreation Trail #3507 (USFS)
• Tamolitch Blue Pool via McKenzie River Trail (All Trails)
• Tamolitch, the Blue Pool (Travel Oregon)
• Tamolitch Falls – Tamolitch Blue Pool (Visit McKenzie River)
• Tamolitch, The Blue Pool (Grant’s Getaways)
• Blue Pool/Tamolitch Pool (Hike Oregon)
• Tamolitch Falls (Blue Pool) (Hike It Baby)
• Hiking to the Tamolitch Pool (The Outbound Collective)
• Tamolitch Pool Blue Pool of Oregon (Ocean Blue Project)
• Tamolitch Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
• Carmen-Smith: McKenzie River, OR (FWEE)
• What You Don’t Know About Blue Pool Could Kill You (That Oregon Life)
• “Accidents, crowds mar Mckenzie River’s Blue Pool” (Statesman Journal)

Contributors

• bobcat (creator)