McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway
McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Oregon. Within Oregon it covers roughly 85 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
This loop crosses the Cascade crest on two passes near Sisters, Oregon. The McKenzie Pass road (SR-242) climbs through a vast, jagged lava flow to the Dee Wright Observatory, a shelter built entirely of lava rock with windows framing the surrounding volcanoes. The Three Sisters and Mount Washington stand close at hand; the narrow McKenzie Pass road is closed by snow much of the year.
- Dee Wright Observatory
- McKenzie Pass lava fields
- Three Sisters
- Cascade volcanoes
- SR-242 / US-20
Designated for its scenic qualities
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Places to stop along McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway
Dee Wright Observatory
A small lava-rock lookout built by the CCC in 1935 atop McKenzie Pass, with sighting windows that frame the Cascade peaks one by one.
Lava River Trail
A short paved interpretive trail through the gutters and pressure ridges of the vast, young lava flow at the pass.
Proxy Falls
Two lacy waterfalls spilling over moss-covered basalt, reached by a short loop trail off the old McKenzie Highway.
Sahalie and Koosah Falls
Two thundering falls on the upper McKenzie linked by a 2.6-mile loop; Sahalie is visible right from the parking area.
Tamolitch Blue Pool
An improbably blue pool where the McKenzie River resurfaces after running underground through lava for about three miles, a two-mile walk from the trailhead.
Santiam Pass
A 4,817-foot crossing of the Cascade crest beneath Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack, with burned forest regrowing from recent fires.
Camp Sherman
A tiny summer retreat on the spring-fed Metolius River, where the river wells up full-born from the ground at the Head of the Metolius.
Where to Stay along McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway
26 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway.
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Photos of McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.