Calendar

Past Activity

Canceled: Belknap Hot Spring LTD Bus to T.H.

  • Start date: 07/20/2017

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 07/20/2017

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

Weather predicted to be partly cloudy but warm--up to 80 degrees. We will enjoy a pleasant cool breezes and warm spells as we hike along the McKenzie River to the hot springs and gardens. Leave your car outside the downtown blocks--walk to LTD bus and skip the crowds! Round trip hike from McKenzie River Ranger Station to Belknap Hot Springs is 6 miles. Additional 1-2 miles optional hiking on resort trails adjacent to the river.
LTD Public Bus # 91 requires exact change $3.50 for a day pass, We will meet at LTD Downtown Station at 8 am, depart Eugene Station at 8:20 am. Arrive Ranger Station 9:40 am. I expect to hike leisurely along the river's edge, and steadily 2-2.5 mph under forest canopy, stopping at Paradise boat ramp (pit toilet) and Lost Creek bridge arriving at Belknap at Noon. I would like to stay grouped together on the National Recreational Trail. Expect some bicyclists and rafters enjoying the same corridor. You will have choices for activities midday We will start back from Belknap Bridge at 2 pm promptly. You may have time at the Ranger Station before catching the early 4 pm LTD bus back to Eugene, We will arrive downtown at approximately 5:30 pm. Come along and relax.

  • Event Leader: Meg Stewart Smith

  • Event Leader Phone: 541-913-5464

  • Event Leader Email: msdesign5@comcast.net

  • Assistant Leader: Mary Marshall

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type: Mountain

  • Departure Location: See Trip Description

  • Rating: Moderate

  • Roundtrip total drive miles:

  • Season: 2017

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Lunch. 10 essentials. Cash $3.50 exact change. $8:00 plus a swimsuit, towel, plastic bag for wet items, sunscreen for midday hot springs pool. Insect repellent--very few mosquitos if any, but please bring your protection. If you would like to travel light, there is a grill located at the resort, but it will be busy with visiting bicyclists from 11:30-12:30. Towels cost an additional $2.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 7

  • Member Fees: 1

  • Elevation Gain: 350

  • Non-Member Fees: 5

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report


Discover a multifaceted excursion with timely sections--first catch the public transport, next hike a National Recreation Trail that weaves a thread of the riparian edge into a deeper fabric of the Douglas Fir forest, and midway, relax at a private resort before returning on time.

First, the 8:20 AM # 91 LTD bus is packed with bicycles and strollers. Riders hop off and on at country stores and at blueberry, lavender or filbert farms. Old time boaters, neon-clothed cyclists, and demure families, a grandmother with toddler all exchange local news. Last stop, McKenzie Ranger Station.

Next, our hike starts directly across the highway in 70 degree weather cooled by a downriver breeze. A McKenzie River Drift Boat quietly slips through high gradient rapids, 950 c.f.s. At Paradise Boat Launch, our group notices a cluster of nodding flowers with white leaves, no chlorophyll. The Ghost Pipe is getting its energy from the photosynthesis of the Douglas Fir, a wondrous example of mycorrhizal symbiosis. Next break is Lost Creek. We appreciate a delightfully sturdy yet elegant bridge. Freshly hewn logs and large bolts grace the handrail. This project includes voluntary labor by our hardworking members! Here, one hiker notices a familiar spring emerging in soft mineral rich pools at hand's length. We picnic on a fallen log. A shy Townsend chipmunk scampers behind us. Layers of vine maple gracefully mingle with Oregon grape, sword fern over herbaceous lily and dogwood. A Western Toad is out for a warm midday amble, awkwardly traversing the rock crevices right at our knees.

Midway, some hikers choose to dip into the Belknap Hot Springs pool and others freely explore the gardens searching for an elusive classical column. The 1.5 hours of relaxation is liberating. Returning, all eight women are hiking with curiosity, spontaneous smiles, or lively conversation. About a dozen novice bicyclists pass us on the trail. Near the LTD bus stop, we pause at the river's edge. A group of 6-8 paddle rafts float past us. Met by an 80 degree upriver breeze, we gratefully catch the return LTD Bus #91 at 4 PM. Yes, we are seasoned hikers treading lightly, revisiting a cherished river, and using minimal fossil fuels.