Day 3 | Oregon-Exclusive Waterfalls × Ice-Blue Lake Secret Hiking

🗺️ Departing from Bend, we headed north—packing hiking, outlet shopping, and a trip into the city all into one perfectly planned day! ⸻ 🏞️ Sahalie Falls & Koosah Falls Trail 🛤 Distance: 1 mile 🕑 Duration: Approximately 40 minutes 🌟 Difficulty: Easy This hike is super leisurely—It feels more like a stroll through the forest than a strenuous trek! The entire trail stays shaded by trees, with rushing turquoise streams flowing alongside you. And just when you least expect it, a spectacular waterfall suddenly emerges from the depths of the woods 🌊—no filter needed to make this view pop! 📍 There’s one waterfall at the trailhead and another at the endpoint. ⚠️ The parking lot is quite small, so it’s recommended to arrive early to secure a spot. 💧 Tamolitch Blue Pool via McKenzie River Trail 🛤 Distance: 4 miles ⛰️ Elevation Gain: 350 ft 🕑 Duration: 2.5 - 3 hours 🌟 Difficulty: Moderate This trail is only open on weekends from July 16th to July 30th—always check the trail status in advance! We suggest budgeting a little extra time; we took our time stopping to take photos, and by the end, it took nearly 3 hours to get back to the parking lot. The Blue Pool is even more stunning in person than in photos—it’s like a sapphire straight out of Jiuzhaigou 💙! The stream water is so crystal clear, you can see every detail of the riverbed without effort. ⚠️ But here’s the catch: It’s freezing—way too cold to swim in 🥶! Even just dipping your hand in makes your scalp tingle from the chill. Parking spots are limited, but you can also park along the sides of the main road. With a little patience, you’ll eventually find a spot to pull over. ⸻ 🛍️ Woodburn Premium Outlets We switched gears from hiking mode to shopping mode in the blink of an eye 🛒! The outlets are decent overall, but not the kind where you’ll end up splurging uncontrollably. The Lululemon selection, in particular, had pretty unflattering styles. 🥾 On the bright side, Merrell had almost all their basic styles in stock—and they were running a “buy one, get the second pair half off” deal, which made for great value! #MoveThroughSummer #OneMountainAWeek #HikingRouteRecommendation #Oregon #WaterfallsICaptured #Outlets #OutdoorHiking