Swimmer dies after rescue at Blue Pool on McKenzie Highway

A swimmer died at Blue Pool at Tamolitch Falls after crews rushed to the McKenzie Highway swimming hole just before 8:50 p.m. on June 26. Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District said the swimmer went underwater and did not resurface. Responders later recovered the person from the water, but could not revive them.

The death adds to a long pattern of trouble at a site that draws crowds for its clear blue water and dramatic setting east of Eugene. Blue Pool sits in a remote stretch of the McKenzie corridor, where steep terrain, cold water and a long response time can turn a swim into a rescue in minutes. The area’s beauty often hides those hazards from first-time visitors and summer day-trippers.

The U.S. Forest Service says Tamolitch was renamed in 1933 by William Parke, a recreational engineer for the Willamette National Forest, and the pool is fed by underground springs. That spring-fed water stays extremely cold, often around 40 degrees, which can overwhelm swimmers even when the weather is warm. The cliffs and uneven access around the basin also make rescues difficult once someone is in trouble.

Concerns about the site are not new. In 2023, local reporting said Blue Pool drew an estimated 50,000 visitors a year and that Linn County search and rescue was called there five times in one week. That same year, officials considered swimming restrictions because of recurring emergencies, and Sweet Home firefighters said it could take one and a half to two hours just to reach patients at the site.

The danger has remained front and center this spring. In May, a 53-year-old woman was rescued from Blue Pool with help from Upper McKenzie Rural Fire District, Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Eugene Mountain Rescue, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. That response showed how quickly a call at Blue Pool can escalate into a multi-agency technical rescue.

Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District serves the upper McKenzie River Valley, including Blue River, Rainbow, McKenzie Bridge and the McKenzie Highway corridor. Its crews were again among the first on scene for the June 26 drowning, a reminder that the same remote geography that makes Blue Pool popular also makes it one of Lane County’s most demanding rescue locations.