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| Hiking | 1.50 Miles |
300 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.50 Miles | 1 Hour | | 1.50 mph |
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| no partners | | Belated post. Second day in La Pine Oregon. I was still unsure of the roads and still unhappy about my trail options. Friends of the family said that McKay Crossing was a nice hike with some nearby falls. I had a general understanding that this hike was located near Paulina Falls, so off I went. Got up around 4am and headed off in the dark with a decent set of directions to guide me. Writing this now, in Phoenix, it’s hard to believe a month ago I was driving up a mountain with traces of snow on it covered in clouds. I was unsure of where McKay Crossing was in conjunction with Paulina Falls but I was hoping for guidance as I drove up the mountain road. Didn’t see any indication for McKay Crossing but I did see signs for Paulina Lake and Paulina Falls. I drove the parking area for the lake. There wasn’t much to see because of the low visibility due to the clouds. Decided to drive back to Paulina Falls to see what I could see. I got the impression that the lot was not officially open. Info signs were covered and the bathroom doors were locked. There was no closure signage and I couldn’t imagine why the area would be closed in June.
They break Paulina Falls into Upper and Lower Falls. These are the same falls just different viewing platforms. First walked over to Upper Falls. No mileage was given on the sign, but it was about .15 miles to the Upper Falls. Pretty cool view of two falls coming over a decent drop. There was a trail that followed the river up to Paulina Lake, which I followed. Probably wasn’t much more than .25 miles to reach the road and bridge that lead to the lake. Walked the public area. There was a pier, general store and a lodge. Checked out the trail signage in the area. Several trails were mentioned, some with decent information. One of them was the Peter Skene Ogden Trail which started about 8 miles down the mountain and had a McKay Crossing. It turns out McKay crossing isn’t a trail. It is a campground that some people use as a turnaround point when doing the Ogden Trail. Slightly annoyed. I prefer doing the entire trail if possible and I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to do the Ogden Trail with the time constraints I had. I decided I would check out the rest of Paulina Falls and then drive down to the beginning of the Peter Skene Ogden Trail and do what I could.
The trail for Lower Paulina Falls takes off from the parking area and is maybe .35 miles long (one way). It starts off as a broad path and then narrows as it switchbacks down the side of a slope. You probably lose 100-150 in elevation and end up on a wooden platform looking up at Paulina Falls. Like I said earlier. Same falls as before, just a different perspective. Neat little walk to the platform with cools views.
If you just want to see Paulina Falls, you can do the Upper and Lower platforms in under 1 mile. The Peter Skene Ogden Trail comes up the other side of the river and I noticed that there was a viewing platform on that side of the river as well. Hiking up to the bridge (by the lake) and down to that platform would probably make this a 2 mile excursion.
The trail signage in this area (mainly by the bridge) is a bit confusing, but I finally figured it out. Basically, they have two sets of trail signs. One for hiking and the other for skiing/snowmobiling. These signs would be pointing in the same directions, but have different names and I couldn’t understand why. Then I realized the skiing signs are about 15 feet off the ground, while my hiking signs would be buried in snow. Hard to imagine.
Nice short hike. Had the area all to myself. Saw a few cars getting ready to drop their boats at the lake, but had the trails to myself. I imagine this place might get rather busy during peak times due to the limiting nature of the viewing platforms. Luckily, I’ve learned the Oregonians don’t believe in getting up early. No wildlife. Very disappointing. I’ve seen almost no wildlife on any of my hikes in Oregon. Weather was crazy. It was misting the entire time I was on the trail. Like I was walking through a cloud. Played havoc with my phone screen and glasses. (When I drove down to the beginning of the Ogden Trail, it was cloudy, but there was no rain/mist). |
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