The first time I made this hike was two years ago, on a cold rainy slash mixed snowy May day. Finding the trailhead was nearly impossible. Google maps took us to a random road that led us through the woods to an eventual dead end. In just the short amount of two years, Google has upped its game and made it extremely easy to find the trailhead today. Heading East on I-22, at the junction that splits off towards Eugene, I-20, take that right and continue to I-126 and head south.

For your convenience, there is a bathroom right at the beginning of the trail head. Starting the hike can be slightly tricky if you’re not paying enough attention. The road continues straight up a hill, but to the right there is the Blue Pool Trailhead.

The first mile of the trail is absolutely gorgeous. With the overgrown forest with every shade of green imaginable on one side, you have the McKenzie River rushing past on the other. The upkeep on the trail is one of the best I have seen, so navigation is easy breezy. This trail is great for a mountain bike ride or a trail run.

Although the first mile is deceivingly easy, mile two is littered with ankle turning lava rocks on the trail. Take caution walking through this area.

After conquering the lava obstacle course for about a mile, a smile will soon spread over your face when Blue Pool comes into view. All along the trail up until this point, the McKenzie River is rushing past with powerful force. At this point, the rushing calms and it almost becomes silent. What makes Blue Pool even more interesting is that the water appears very calm, as if it isn’t even moving.

The only other time I visited Blue Pool, this is where the hike ended for me. However, adventure calls me now and I wanted to get to the other side of the pool and touch the water. I highly suggest continuing to the other side, but it does become a little tough in certain spots, so if you’re not in decent hiking shape, stopping here is recommended.

Continuing to the other side from here gets even trickier. The path is very rocky and narrow until the steep hill down to the shore. The path comes to a point to either go up to the left of down to the right. Keep right.

Once down, I had the whole shore to myself. I sat for some time, admiring the water forcing itself through the cracks of the lava formation, forming a deceivingly deep pool, and then turning back into a powerful river.

If this hike is on your list of Must-See-Spots, DO NOT go on the weekend if at all possible. I was very lucky to have the place to myself for a time I did because this spot is one of the most visited attractions in Oregon. When I had first arrived, there were only a couple cars in the lot since I had arrived around 9am on a Monday. However, as I was making my way back around 11am, I ran into loads of people making the hike in. By the time I reached the parking lot to leave, there were so many cars that some were turning around to park far down the road.

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