Bend to Eugene

[Dick Simonis]

I will be leaving bend at the end of the week heading to Eugene for some painting.  My route planner shows going 20 to Sisters than 242 to 128....is this the best way??

Thanks.

Dick

[Bill Sprague]

I like that road.  It is scenic and I look forward to driving it when I get the chance.  

It is a typical Oregon highway with normal width lanes, good shoulders, plenty of turns and occasional passing lanes.  

If you are unaccustomed to mountain pass highways, there are a couple things to be aware of.  You should use the engine brake in a way so that you don't need your foot brake going down hill and the yellow speed advisory signs prior to each curve should be considered mandatory for motorhomes.

Enjoy the McKenzie highway!    

[Dick Simonis]

Thanks Bill.

Is it more twisty than 20 going to Lebanon...just for comparison, since we normally take that route.  And yes, the exhaust brake gets a good workout and I found out the hard way that "BUMP" is a serious warning as are the yellow speed signs.

[David T. Richelderfer]

The problem on the McKenzie isn't so much the road, it's the valley traffic.  If the road is busy, then especially the westbound lane will have long streams of vehicles backed up behind a freight truck or slower vehicle.  While there are fairly regular passing lanes, there are always those drivers who take chances and try to pass in tight situations.  But this phenomenon is not exclusive to the McKenzie.  It's also prevalent on the Santiams and on 26 over Mt. Hood to Bend... and on nearly every two-lane road in the valley.

[Bruce Sieloff]

If the McKenzie Hwy you are talking about is the one that goes up by the Three Sisters and is closed in winter for snow I would definitely NOT try to take a motorhome that way, particularly my 45' Marquis.
The road is twisty and narrow and the west end is particularly steep and hairpin.
Few if any turnouts and not much room at the top for a MH unless you park parallel to the road.
The east end has it's moments also, going from very flat and arrow straight, if a bit narrow, into a real twister on the way to the top.
I took that road last summer in my RAM 2500 and was glad that I had bypassed it on my way from Eugene to Bend in the MH and revisited it later in the truck.
I am guilty of trying to take the "scenic route" anytime and have had the MH on some challenging roads. Glad I passed this one up.
Very pretty, but very challenging in anything bigger than a pickup.
Hwy 20 is my accepted route.

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

Dick,

Take 20 to 126 from Bend to Eugene.  I have taken that route several times, and enjoyed it.  Do not take the 242 shortcut, because it too curvy for our coaches.

Larry

[Joel Ashley]

No Dick.  You don't want your coach on 242, McKenzie Pass.  It is in places little more than a paved Forest Service fire road.  It's fine in your toad and has some grand worthwhile sights, but your hysterical copilot may wonder what possessed you to go that route when you encounter some blind narrow curving sections or those same conditions plus winding downhill.  Stick to the main 20/126 at the west end of Sisters.

Joel

[Bill Sprague]

I stand corrected!  The very best advice is that if you have any doubt about a route, take a different way.  Old, bold pilots got there on purpose.

However, I've driven 242 and not had an issue.  In ten years and 120,000 miles in 46 states with this Beaver I've not found a single numbered state or federal highway, that is colored red in a Rand McNally to NOT be up to standards for commercial truck or motorhome use.

I promise to be more careful with my road recommendations in the future!  I'll be especially careful if anyone ever asks about Wyoming 14 from near Sheridan to the East entrance to Yellowstone.  Or, maybe the Trace Parkway.  

[Joel Ashley]

My Rand McNally shows the Going to the Sun Highway in solid red.  And the McKenzie Pass state road is in the narrow red of "other through highways".  As an Oregon native, I've traveled it many times, but not in an RV.  It's not that it can't be done.  It's just that it's enjoyment would be diminished by the necessary deliberateness in its negotiation and the angering of other travelers I'd hold up in the process.

I was kinda hoping, Bill, that you'd mixed up the McKenzie (River) Highway 126 with the McKenzie Pass 242, or perhaps misinterpreted Dick's question, because I wouldn't describe 242 as a typical Oregon highway, but 126 certainly is.

Joel

[Gerald Farris]

Bill,
I have driven all of the roads that you mentioned, and I agree with you in that they are OK, but you have to slow down and enjoy the beautiful view because they  will unload the cabinets if you get in a hurry with the exception of the Trace. The only concern that I would have in recommending the Natchez Trace Parkway is that trucks are prohibited, so there is nothing but you to keep the many tree limbs beaten back from the road since the state does not trim them. I did donate my CB antenna to one of those low tree limbs a few years back.

Gerald

[Bill Sprague]

.....
I was kinda hoping, Bill, that you'd mixed up the McKenzie (River) Highway 126 with the McKenzie Pass 242, or perhaps misinterpreted Dick's question, because I wouldn't describe 242 as a typical Oregon highway, but 126 certainly is.

Joel

There is no question that my brain mixes things up.  And, there is no doubt that this may be one of those events!  

Be forwarned!  Never take my advice if you expect it to be of high quality, all the time.  

[David T. Richelderfer]

Hmmmm.... my comments were pertinent to the 20-126 route as well.  I have never been over 242... and likely will never make that one.  As an example, we did take the 262 route from Scotty's Junction, NV into Death Valley by Scotty's Castle this past Fall on the way to Quartzsite.  If it's anything like that route, then stay away.  Route 262 was wiped out from a flash flood in the canyon above the castle and was being repaired when we passed through.  I dare you to take the Titus Canyon drive though.   lolol

[Mike Humble]

In our first year of motor homing, we took Hwy 1 in Cal from Leggett to Fort Bragg.  We missed the sign that said no more than 30 ft from kingpin to rear.  Scary
Mike

[Roy C Tyler]

My neighbor two doors down broke his Roadmaster tow bar making that turn on Highway 1.

[BJ Sprague]

Several years ago Bill and I drove the Big Sur Coast Highway 1 in the Beaver.  We didn't make a mistake and take a wrong turn - just wanted to see the scenery from the superb high up view of the Beaver.  We did the drive on a Tuesday morning with little traffic.  Bill drove carefully and slowed down to a crawl for some of the turns. During our 100,000 + miles of travel throughout the USA and Canada we have driven many two lane federal highways.  We choose this mode of travel  to experience our country's beauty and the communities that we would miss if we just were freeway drivers.  We plan our trip routing carefully, using two software programs, the GPS, and two paper map sources - that's a total of 5 regularly used resources + Google Earth for a quick double check once we have determined our desired route.  This mode of motorhome travel may not suit everyone, but we enjoy our adventures as we travel from point A to point B.