Contributed by hike leader John Sweat

We could not have asked for a better day for a hike along the McKenzie River.  We started at Clear Lake and enjoyed the turquoise color as we hiked along the western shore towards the outflow, which is the headwaters of the McKenzie.  As we progressed, it was a pleasant reminder of the lush greenery on the westside of the Cascades.  A few flowers were in bloom,  Trillium and Fairy Slipper ( Oregon native orchid ).  The falls were a site to behold and were certainly a Kodak moment.  We opted to do an out and back rather than the loop to avoid the general public.  Our stats for the day,  6.4 miles and 650 ft in elevation gain.