Routes 20 and 126

Question please

We are still working on our itinerary and need held regarding road conditions.

We will be traveling up I-5 past Eugene on June 1 or 2, 2009 and need to know what Route 20 and 126 will hold for us as we head over to Sisters.

Will the roads be good this time of year? Also, the road looks like it meanders this way and that way. Can scardy cats travel this road?

If there is a better route - please share. I just think I will like the byway along Route 20 and Sisters looks like the kind of town we like.

Thanks again for help.

Dolores

Routes 20 and 126

The only road I%26#39;d think you%26#39;d have a problem with is 247 over the McKenzie Pass into Sisters, but it%26#39;ll likely be closed because of snow, so not even an option. Why not take 126 from Eugene? The reason many of these roads appear to meander is because they parallel rivers; in the case of 126 it%26#39;s the McKenzie. Pretty drive! And no worries, even for scaredy cats.

Routes 20 and 126

The only potentially ';scary'; road is Rt 242... which is still closed this year due to snow. It is very windy and narrow.

We often take Hwy 126 out of Eugene/Springfield and it%26#39;s a nice drive. Not as windy as Hwy 22 out of Salem, so in poor weather it%26#39;s an easier drive.

Hwy 20 from the junction, east to Sisters has some curves but they are well-signed. After you pass Suttle Lake it straightens right out.

In June both roads should be easily passable, and beautiful!

This is the main route from Eugene to Bend. As noted, the McKenzie Hwy (#126) follows the beautiful river and climbs gently until it reaches #20 and you turn eastward toward Sister and Bend beyond.

Along the way are numerous spots where you can picnic, hike or just watch the river rush by. A stop at the McKenzie Bridge ranger station would be recommended...both for the large tabletop relief map showing your route through the mountains and for the modern restroom facilities. Across the highway from the ranger station you can get on the McKenzie River Trail and explore a bit. The trail stretches up the river for more than 20 miles, so just a little bit will do you fine.

From there, you%26#39;ll go by Belknap Springs Resort...worth a quick stop and look around (and, perhaps a dip in their spring fed pool). A few miles before you reach the turnoff to #20 you%26#39;ll come to Sahalie Falls...a must stop and see location on your left. The falls are right off the parking area and in June will be at their most powerful. Just a mile or so past Sahalie Falls, Clear Lake Resort will be on your right. A beautiful crystal clear lake that is the source of the McKenzie River. Also worth at least a few minutes of your time. A short counterclockwise hike from the resort will take you to the footbridge where the lake becomes the river. If you%26#39;re up to it, you can continue around the lake. It%26#39;s a 5.5-mile hike, over lava in places, with magnificent vistas in all directions.

This year, early June still had snow at the lake and at the ski resorts in Santiam Pass. The main highways were clear however. Scaredy cats or not, I%26#39;d advise you to stay to the main roads and off the forest roads, especially that early in the summer.

Sisters is a delightful town in a wonderful setting. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll enjoy both the town and the drive getting there.

242.... Right, and thanks for that correction, fiveforfun. I%26#39;d forgotten the hwy number, and misplaced my reading glasses. ;-)

You are all great with your input - the reason I was considering 20 is that I read it is an Oregon State Byway - the Over and rivers and thru the woods scenic byway and I thought it would be the most scenic. Now I am wondering which - 20 to 126 or 126 all the way.

Please vote - phone lines are open - LOL

Dolores

You are all great with your input - the reason I was considering 20 is that I read it is an Oregon State Byway - the Over and rivers and thru the woods scenic byway and I thought it would be the most scenic. Now I am wondering which - 20 to 126 or 126 all the way.

Please vote - phone lines are open - LOL

Dolores

As I%26#39;ve noted above, 126 takes you to the 20 (where you HAVE to turn right or left on the 20) and then you go east on the 20 to Sisters.

Hwys 20 or 126? That%26#39;s a tough one, they are both really pretty drives. Will you be returning to I-5 and the Portland/Eugene area? If so, you could go east on one and come back west on the other.

I guess if I had to pick one or the other I%26#39;d go with 126 as a bit more scenic.

I vote for Hwy 20 to Quartzville Rd to NFS 11 to Hwy 22 to Hwy 20. But maybe one-lane paved roads with turnouts isn%26#39;t for everyone--at least not scaredy-cats.

Don%26#39;t take hwy 20 from I-5. It is longer and not as scenic as 126. that is a very recent scenic byway and in my view does not compare with the others. I think all the other state hwys leading to the cascades are more scenic.

As others have said you will hit 20 near Santiam pass, by then you are on the McKenzie-Santiam SB..and at that point it is nice