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Explore the source of the Willamette River in a moist old-growth forest.
During the hot months of August most Eugenians flock to the well-known and often crowded swimming holes along Fall Creek or Brice Creek. But there are awesome hiking, swimming, fishing and picnicking opportunities far up the Willamette
River that receive relatively little use. The Middle Fork trail follows the Middle Fork of the Willamette for approximately 30 miles from Hills Creek Reservoir to the river's official source at Timpanagos Lake. Probably the most interesting section of the trail takes you on an easy day hike through a narrow gorge and the real source of the Willamette Rive: A series of ice cold springs nestled in a lush old-growth forest.
Directions: Take I-5 south from Eugene for approximately 3 miles. Take the Oakridge/Klamath Falls exit (Exit 188A). Stay to the left onto Hwy. 58. Take 58 for approximately 36 miles through Oakridge. Take a right on Kitson Springs Road (the first right outside of Oakridge) just past Dink's Market. Stay on Kitson Springs Road for less than half a mile before taking a right onto Forest Service Road 21 (follow the signs for Diamond Drive and Rigdon Road). Stay on 21 for a little more than 28 miles. Just past Indigo Springs Campground, take a right onto a side road marked by a brown hiker sign and park. From this trailhead it's just fifty yards to the river and a junction with the Middle Fork trail.
Once you hit the intersection with the Middle Fork trail you want to head east (left). But first, a rewarding side trip follows the trail west for about a half a mile past several beautiful deep pools to Cliff Springs. These small springs erupt from a short rock face and pour through mossy boulders to the river.
From the junction with the cutoff trail to your car, the Middle Fork trail follows the river upstream for a little more than a mile before an intersection with the Chuckle Springs trail. This high in the Cascades, the placid Willamette of the valley is barely recognizable. Here, the twelfth largest river in the United States is little more than an oversized creek, careening through giant boulders and over rotting logs. The forest along the riverbank is exceptional, featuring gorgeous moss-draped Douglas fir and western red cedar.
More than half the original settlers of Lane County followed this same route along the Middle Fork in an 1853 wagon train. The so-called "Lost Wagon Train," exhausted and starving after abandoning their horses and wagons in the dense forests to the east, camped near the modern day trailhead and survived on berries and dead salmon until a rescue party from Eugene led them out of the wilderness.
At one point the upper Middle Fork supported thousands of spring-run Chinook salmon. Today, the three Army Corps of Engineers dams you passed on the drive up have extinguished these runs by blocking off 80% of the salmon's historic spawning grounds.
Several years after the Lost Wagon Train arrived, entrepreneurs constructed the first overland route to the southern Willamette Valley, the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road, along the same route as the Middle Fork trail and FS 21. You can still spot old wagon ruts along several sections of the trail downstream.
After a mile walking upstream, the trail splits. Follow the signs for Chuckle Springs uphill for about a third of a mile. Ignore the two intersections for now and stay to the left. The trail climbs steadily and crosses a torrent of icy cold white water, the outflow of the springs.
Chuckle Springs emerge from the forest floor into a wide pool in a shady grove of big trees. It's a perfect spot for a picnic before the return trip—there's even a picnic bench. After lunch, head back down the Chuckle Springs trail. This time take either one of the connecting trails that branch off from the Chuckle Springs trail to the left. If you stay to the right on these trails they'll take you past more interesting springs and loop back down to the river and the main Middle Fork Trail. From here, head back downstream towards your car.
Your return trip will undoubtedly be easier than it was for Lane County's original settlers!