Helicopter rescues injured hiker from Blue Pool near McKenzie River

A 53-year-old Terrebonne woman was hoisted by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from Blue Pool after severely injuring her knee on the steep McKenzie River trail, turning a popular day hike into a multi-agency rescue east of Eugene.

Dispatchers received the call about noon Sunday, May 3, and the difficult access at the site prompted rescuers to mobilize a technical rope rescue response. The Upper McKenzie Rural Fire District, Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and Eugene Mountain Rescue responded first, while Linn County Search and Rescue and the Oregon Department of Emergency Management helped bring in the Coast Guard aircraft. Search and rescue crews prepared the woman for transport before the helicopter conducted the hoist. She was flown to a nearby airfield and then taken by Sweet Home Fire District to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield.

Blue Pool, also known as Tamolitch Falls, has long drawn crowds to the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, including hikers, photographers and mountain bikers. The U.S. Forest Service says the area is especially busy in spring and summer, and the site’s popularity sits alongside serious hazards: water that averages about 37 degrees Fahrenheit, cliffs that rise roughly 10 to 60 feet, and minimal to zero phone reception. The Forest Service also warns that people have been severely injured or killed there in the past.

The attraction itself is part of the geology of the upper McKenzie. A lava flow from Belknap Crater about 1,600 years ago buried a 3-mile stretch of the river, and the water now resurfaces through porous lava at Blue Pool. The current name, Tamolitch, was adopted in 1933 by William Parke, a Willamette National Forest recreational engineer.

The rescue came as officials continue to stress caution at the site. In July 2023, after five rescues in five days, local leaders pushed for a swimming ban at Blue Pool. The Forest Service says the trailhead sees heavy use in spring and summer and advises visitors to arrive early or late to avoid congestion. With emergency response in the area sometimes taking hours, the incident showed how quickly a routine hike can become a helicopter operation requiring agencies from Lane and Linn counties, the Coast Guard and local fire districts.

During the Blue Pool response, another search and rescue call came in at Pamelia Lake in Linn County, prompting Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan to thank the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team for helping cover that separate incident.