Day 5: Opal Creek
Opal Creek Wilderness
In 28 hours, the largest tourist event in Oregon history would be taking place: the total solar eclipse. The path of totality would start on the Oregon coast between Newport and Lincoln City, travel through Salem and Madras, and continue on towards the East coast. The next coast-to-coast eclipse will be in 2045.
To put things in perspective, towns within the path of totality were treating this event like a natural disaster. Because of all this excitement, hotels and campgrounds were 100% booked months in advance. We had no option other than be “homeless” again and look for a place to park so we could sleep in the car.
We headed to Opal Creek Wilderness in the Santiam Forest, part of the Willamette National Forest, an hour and a half east of Salem. Upon entering the Opal Creek Wilderness, we spotted a small handwritten sign that read, “Eclipse Parking 13 miles”. I really didn’t want to get murdered but it wasn’t the worst option on the table. I decided to scope it out since we would be passing by on our way to the creek anyway. Nervously, we pulled into the driveway of complete stranger’s house and just sat there for a second, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, a woman with a big grin on her face walked towards us. “Are you here for eclipse parking?”, she asked. We said yes and talked for a bit. Zero murder vibes were received. Soon after, her husband came out to greet us. He was expecting around 20 guests and planned to have a hot dog BBQ for everyone later that evening. This was so unlike us, but we were thankful to have found a safe place to stay overnight! We told them we would be back after our hike and left for Opal Creek.
Opal Creek Wilderness
Opal Creek Trail | 6 miles, Out & Back | $5 day use permit
The Willamette National Forest has some of the oldest trees around; 500-1000 year old trees, making it the largest old growth forest in the west Cascades. Opal Creek is home to 50 waterfalls, five lakes, and eight hiking trails. It’s pretty much a nature lovers playground.
We paid our $5 permit and hiked in from the parking lot. It was so busy; cars were parked on the side of the road for at least a half mile past the trailhead.
Opal Creek Trail
Massive douglas-firs and ancient western red-cedar trees kept us company on our three-mile hike to Opal Pool. Along the way we passed a few creeks, bridges and small waterfalls. It was nice to beat the heat in the shade of an old forest.
Opal Creek
As expected, the water was clear, cold, and sparkly. It was mostly shaded except for a few spots where the sun made its way through the trees. Opal Creek was the place to be; people were jumping and sliding off rocks and splashing around in the water. It’s a great place to relax and spend the day, and super family friendly.
It was after dinner when we finally headed back to "the eclipse house". Sure enough, at least 10 cars were parked in the front yard. As we pulled the van into an open space we were greeted with beer and hot dogs. We mingled with people from all over: Oregon, California, and even Austria. Some guests were local, some were friends of the hosts, and others were travelers passing by, just like us. It was fun gushing about how excited we were for tomorrow! We also received tons of Oregon travel tips and advice from the locals.
Opal Creek Wilderness, Opal Creek Trail, Lyons, OR 97358
TOTAL DISTANCE HIKED: 6 | TOTAL MILES TRAVELED: 154
CUMULATIVE MILES HIKED: 33.3 | CUMULATIVE DISTANCE TRAVELED: 623 MILES