Backpacking McKenzie River 2026

Who: Angie Johnson and I

What: Backpacking/Hiking 

When: Memorial Day weekend 2026 - May 22nd through 24th

Where: McKenzie River, Breitenbush, and Clear Lake

We started our trip by parking at the Tamolitch pool TH Friday night. The beauty is there was no one there, so parking was nice. If you have ever been during the weekend during the day, the parking goes all the way out to the street and down both sides.  To say the least, this parking situation was a dream. 

To add a little bit of clarity to this hike, I am coming off a knee injury that has limited my hiking for the last year, and my first backpacking trip in over a year. This is Ang's first backpacking trip ever, so all will be a learning experience. I personally thought this was a great beginner's trip.

Friday night, we threw on our packs and hiked south 2.39 miles to one of my favorite spots and arrived in the dark. I forgot my headlamp, but thankfully Ang had one, so it all worked out. Our campsite is full of lots of memories for me, even though it was a little overgrown. It didnt look like its been used much over the years since I have been here last. 

Saturday, we hiked 7 miles up to Tamolitch Pool and enjoyed a nice lunch looking over the pool. We hiked 2.7 miles back to the car and drove down to Breitenbush Hot Springs and enjoyed a nice soak. After our soak, we parked down at the southern end of the trail and hiked north to our camp 2.7 miles. 

Sunday, we woke up and hiked 2.7 miles back to the car, then went back to Breitenbush, where we hiked around the property, checking out all of the scenes for another 2.26 miles. We still had some hiking left in us, so we drove up to Clear Lake and hiked 2.6 miles out and back.

Our feet experienced 19.61 miles, aka 20 miles. The trail therapy was amazing; our hearts were full. Angie officially likes backpacking and has decided to start working on her gear. Her backpack got attacked by mice in storage, but since it's an Osprey, they will fix it for free, so this fall she is going to ship it off to them so it's ready for next year. Meanwhile, we have a couple of trips left in us this year, so let the planning begin.