Several camping and day-use areas along the Upper McKenzie River are open again after a nine-year closure.
The recreation sites and trails are located near the Carmen-Diversion, Smith and Trail Bridge Reservoirs about 60 miles east of Springfield.
They’ve been inaccessible to the public as Eugene Water & Electric Board worked on the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project. But the utility said it's now been able to safely reopen the road.
Patty Boyle, EWEB’s Carmen-Smith License Deployment Supervisor, said the utility has also renovated the recreation sites with modern bathrooms and facilities. On Friday, it held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Trail Bridge Day Use Area.
“I'm really excited about how broad of the community we can really serve here now that these facilities have been reinvested and rebuilt,” Boyle told KLCC.
Boyle said visitors to the area can hand-launch kayaks, canoes and paddleboards into the water using an improved ramp. And she said they may be able to see native bull trout in their habitat.
She said the public can also journey out to the Lakes End Campground, located at the top of Smith Reservoir and only accessible by water.
“It's a pretty special place,” said Boyle. “If you have a little bit of an adventurous spirit, bring your boat and paddle on out.”
The sites are also a hiking distance from the Blue Pool, a popular tourist attraction. On a trail leading there, EWEB staff pointed out places where they’d added gravel and tipped trees to the McKenzie River to support the local wildlife.
State Rep. Darin Harbick, R-McKenzie Bridge, said the reopened sites will help the local economy. He said businesses in the McKenzie Valley rely on tourism and recreation for revenue.
“It's our lifeblood,” said Harbick. “This is our summer trade, because we don't make it in the wintertime.”
According to EWEB, the facility improvements represent a $10.8 million investment in recreation along the Upper McKenzie.
