I fix coin washers and dryers in a large part of Oregon. Today's travels sent me to Bend, Oregon from Eugene. I decided to travel 242 for something a little different. It's almost a once a week trip, so a different route is good.
I got very lucky today and only passed 1 car between the bottom west side to the top. This road is very narrow even for my work van.
There were a few vehicles at the top parking lot.
As I head down the east side of the 5000 ft pass, I encounter 1 fifth wheel RV hogging the complete road (because he has to) due to extremely sharp curves and narrow road width. The Historic Highway 242 over McKenzie Pass is closed to vehicles longer than 35 feet. In less then 5 minutes another fifth wheel rig is headed up the road. I get him to stop and chat for a minute. I pointed out to him that he will be unable to go down the west side. He said that Good Sam routed him this way. Hopefully he turned around at the top.
I love to ride this road on the motorcycle, but still take it easy on the blind corners ( and there are a bunch of them). Here is a few sample pictures. The scenery is fantastic. This area is in a very primitive area. The boundaries of the Mt. Washington Wilderness and Three Sisters Wilderness are 66 feet from the highway centerline. For about 40 miles to the south is all wilderness. About 18 miles in all the other directions is also wilderness. There is no cell phone coverage either.
The sharp corners before the cliff.
1000+ drop off on one side and vertical rock cliff on the other.
I have seen a car hauler simi straddling a hairpin corner on the west side, blocking the road for many, many hours. I road past the cars that were stopped and road the motorcycle under the driver front tire (with a cliff wall on the other side) of the truck.
Please think hard before you take this road with your RV.
Here is some other info about this route.
Point of No Return
The McKenzie PassโSantiam Pass Scenic Byway
Oregon ODOT 242
I got very lucky today and only passed 1 car between the bottom west side to the top. This road is very narrow even for my work van.
There were a few vehicles at the top parking lot.
As I head down the east side of the 5000 ft pass, I encounter 1 fifth wheel RV hogging the complete road (because he has to) due to extremely sharp curves and narrow road width. The Historic Highway 242 over McKenzie Pass is closed to vehicles longer than 35 feet. In less then 5 minutes another fifth wheel rig is headed up the road. I get him to stop and chat for a minute. I pointed out to him that he will be unable to go down the west side. He said that Good Sam routed him this way. Hopefully he turned around at the top.
I love to ride this road on the motorcycle, but still take it easy on the blind corners ( and there are a bunch of them). Here is a few sample pictures. The scenery is fantastic. This area is in a very primitive area. The boundaries of the Mt. Washington Wilderness and Three Sisters Wilderness are 66 feet from the highway centerline. For about 40 miles to the south is all wilderness. About 18 miles in all the other directions is also wilderness. There is no cell phone coverage either.
The sharp corners before the cliff.
1000+ drop off on one side and vertical rock cliff on the other.
I have seen a car hauler simi straddling a hairpin corner on the west side, blocking the road for many, many hours. I road past the cars that were stopped and road the motorcycle under the driver front tire (with a cliff wall on the other side) of the truck.
Please think hard before you take this road with your RV.
Here is some other info about this route.
Point of No Return
The McKenzie PassโSantiam Pass Scenic Byway
Oregon ODOT 242
There is multiple signs at each end.
I was up there on the motorcycle today for a big loop ride. As I was just leaving the viewpoint area at the top, a large Montana 5-er (at least 36ft) was headed west. I was wondering how they get through and how long it took to get past all the sharp hairpins.
West side
East side
Dee Wright Observatory
If you do this road. Stop and see the great work the CCC did when building this observatory. There are small windows to view the mountains far away and larger windows to view the closer mountains.
I was up there on the motorcycle today for a big loop ride. As I was just leaving the viewpoint area at the top, a large Montana 5-er (at least 36ft) was headed west. I was wondering how they get through and how long it took to get past all the sharp hairpins.
West side
East side
Dee Wright Observatory
If you do this road. Stop and see the great work the CCC did when building this observatory. There are small windows to view the mountains far away and larger windows to view the closer mountains.
korbe wrote:
Thanx for the pics. Now I know what it looks like. Last month we took 126 to 20 heading towards Sisters. I don't mind curvy, narrow roads but it's never safe when you have to straddle the centerline and on-coming traffic also needs to.
Beautiful scenic drive it is.
With lot of blind corners and NO GUARD RAILS.
And there are fabulous views from the Historic Dee Wright Observatory. It was built in the 1937 by the CCC.
From the top of the Observatory. Mountains is all direction.
Safe travel and enjoy the pics, KEN
gbopp wrote:
Thanks for posting.
It looks like a great motorcycle road, not so much for RV's.
Great pics.
Motorcycle dream road as long as the cars stay on their side of the road ( which they don't ). It's only 20 foot wide. Most roads are at least 14 ft per lane.
TUCQUALA wrote:
Should post a pic of the lava formations that line the road and corners to give any RV'rs a reason to not go on that road with their rig!!!
Something like this is the best walls on 242.
