Sahalie Falls to Tamolitch Pool

For this hike, I started out at Sahalie Falls off of Highway 126, about a 30 minute drive from Sisters. If you are looking for a flat waterfall hike with lots of trees, there is no better place than the McKenzie River Trail. Park at the Sahalie Falls lot and walk a few hundred feet to your first waterfall. You have a few options in this area, you can opt for the waterfall loop which is 2.6 miles roundtrip and hugs the McKenzie River or venture further to Tamolitch Pool. If you are looking for more distance and fewer people, head downstream for an additional 3.4 miles to Tamolitch Pool. This hike takes you past Carmen Reservoir and follows a dry bed for over 3 miles, so bring water, your dogs will appreciate it. I tackled this trail on a Saturday and passed a handful of bikers and 6 or 7 hikers, which for this destination's popularity is shockingly low. Most people stay near the falls or hike to Tamolitch further down the road. I found this to be the perfect distance hike, I was tired at the end, but not exhausted. Rita and Lola hit the backseat of the car and snoozed all the way home. There is virtually no elevation gain on this hike, which after posting about the South Sister Summit hike, is definitely a blessing. We covered 9.5 miles, took a few detours to get closer to Koosah Falls and then down to Tamolitch Pool. Enjoy.

Tory

South Sister Summit Climb

Easily the most punishing hike I will ever do, South Sister Summit is one of those hikes that cements your status as an "Oregonian". We started this hike around 6:30AM from the Devil's Lake trailhead off of the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway. Total distance roundtrip was 11 miles with an elevation gain of 4900 feet. At no point during this hike, maybe the brief flat walk from Moraine Lake, do you ever find relief. Yet, this is a beautiful hike and one of the few summits you can reach without technical gear. I highly recommend bringing poles though, otherwise you will be falling all over the place as you start the final summit past teardrop pool. If you've got time and the gear, it's best to hike to Moraine Lake, set up shop overnight, then continue to the summit early the next day. One thing about this hike, it is insanely crowded. It is open from May-September with weekends seeing an upwards of 500+ people. If you want to avoid the crowds, try to summit on a weekday or camp overnight and get a head start from Moraine Lake. Enjoy the pictures, I still have PTSD from this hike, when I see these pictures all I think about is my calves exploding. Cheers.

Tory

Check out the hiking path below - courtesy of the Garmin Forerunner which tracks your location as you hike. It does not show the entire hike, I turned on the tracker about a mile or so in to the hike and then the watch died at the summit.