2022 McKenzie Pass Updates

Thanks for checking and please come see us when you are in Sisters.

April 6th 2022: Welcome to our 2022 McKenzie pass updates, thanks for all the interest you've shown this spring on the status of the pass. Sorry we've been a little tardy in getting these update up to you. Yesterday we had a winter storm come through and dump 20" of snow in the mountains, just an inch or two here in town. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 70 degrees so i'll ride up and see how far I can get. Look for another post in the next day or two with pictures. Thanks for your patience. Brad

April 7th 2022: Just rode up the pass, here is my report. No snow on the road at the gate. 1/10th of a mile beyond the gate small snow drift, ridable. 4/10 of a mile beyond the gate larger snow drift, not ridable, I pushed my bike through. 7/10th of a mile beyond gate small snow drift, ridable. 1 mile beyond snow gate large and long drift, not ridable, at this point I turned around. I am riding my gravel bike with a pretty aggressive 700x42 tire, narrower tires may make all these drift unridable. No sign of ODOT plows yet. Pictures are posted below. I will try and get up there again on Tuesday if the weather cooperates, although right now we are looking at snow in the forcast for Sunday and Monday in Sisters.

April 23rd 2022: Well the weather did not cooperate, for those of you not in the area we have had a very snowy and cold last two weeks. Got some pictures from a cutomer taken yesterday, and as you can see below there is now more snow at the gate than there was on 4/7. No sign of ODOT plows yet, but that makes sense as they have been busy keeping the open roads clear and passable. Stay tuned for more updates. Brad

April 29th 2022: ODOT has started plowing the pass! Currently you can ride to Windy Point. I'll try and get up there for pictures early next week. Brad

April 30th 2022: You can now ride up to just below the s-curves near the summit.

May 5th 2022: Got up on the pass yesterday during the good weather, photos below. Long story short you can get to within about 1/2 mile of the summit. ODOT is plowing and I would expect them to be through to the summit by next week. Check out the photos they tell the story. Brad

May 7th 2022: Well evidently about 2 hours after we were up on the pass on the 5th, ODOT plows made it to the summit! You can now ride all the way to the summit from the Sisters (east) side. The west side is still not clear. More photos and updates on the west side to follow. Brad

May 14th 2022: The road is clear to the summit, and just beyond. Now is the time to ride the pass if you want to ride through the largest snow walls on either side of the road. Still no word on the west (Eugene) side. McKenzie Pass jerseys are back in stock, get yours today. Brad

May 17th 2022: A rider sent in an update on the west (Eugene) side today. They hit snow about 5 miles from the lower snow gate, and were able to get half way between Alder springs campground and the switch backs. So it sounds like there is still about 10 miles of plowing to be done. Pictures below.

May 23rd 2022: Just got a report from the west (Eugene) side, ODOT has now plowed past Scott lake, so within 5 miles of the summit. There is currently lots of standing water on the road at Scott lake, so prepare to get your feet wet if you ride up from the west at this time. Thanks for checking in, Brad

June 4th 2022: The pass is now snowfree on both the east and west side, get on up there and ride. Reminder the pass will open to all traffic on the third Monday of June. This year that is June 20th. Brad

June 20th 2022: The pass is now open to all traffic. This is still an amazing ride to do even when open to cars, many mornings there will only be a few cars per hour. Pick a good weather day and get on up there. Brad

Happy Trails,