Boat Landing · McKenzie River · At Trail Bridge Reservoir
Trail Bridge Campground
A quiet reservoir landing at the top of the McKenzie, where the river pools behind a small dam before it starts its long run downhill.
On the water here
confirm ratings locally
KayakFlatwater paddling on the reservoir; whitewater is upstream and downstream, not here
Whitewater raftNot a whitewater run — reservoir water
Drift boatNot a drift-boat run; this is impounded lake water, not river current
FishingStocked rainbow trout and kokanee in the reservoir
CanoeCalm reservoir water suits a canoe well
PaddleboardFlat, sheltered water, good for beginnersTrail Bridge Campground sits on the shore of Trail Bridge Reservoir, a small pool backed up behind a low dam near the top of the McKenzie system. This isn’t whitewater country — the reservoir is flat, calm, and speed-limited to 10 mph, which makes it a genuinely different kind of stop from almost every other access point on this list. The Forest Service maintains a boat ramp here, but what launches off it is a canoe, a kayak angler, or a small motorboat working the reservoir, not a driftboat headed downstream.
It’s a campground first and a landing second: 42 sites, a day-use pavilion, and a setting deep in the Willamette National Forest canopy, with the river itself resuming its normal current-driven character both upstream toward Trail Bridge Dam verify and well downstream past the reservoir’s outlet.
More detail
Getting there & parking +
From McKenzie Bridge, head east on Highway 126 toward Highway 20/McKenzie Pass. Watch for Forest Road 730, which leads into the campground and boat ramp on the reservoir’s west shore confirm current FR routing.
Facilities & accessibility +
- Vault and flush toilets
- Potable water
- Picnic tables
- Day-use pavilion
- Boat ramp (reservoir access)
This is a full-service Forest Service campground with a day-use fee area, not a bare riverbank pulloff — expect maintained restrooms and water on site.
River conditions & hazards +
Because Trail Bridge is impounded water, the usual whitewater hazards of the McKenzie — sweepers, ledges, pour-overs — don’t apply on the reservoir itself. The trade-off is cold, deep lake water and boat traffic sharing a fairly small pool, so give other paddlers and small craft room. The dam structure at the reservoir’s outlet should be given a wide berth by any paddler; do not approach the spillway verify.
Nearby landings & float planner +
Trail Bridge is the odd one out on the upper river — a lake stop bookended by whitewater on both sides.
Fishing at this landing +
The reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout and holds kokanee, making it one of the few stillwater fishing spots on the upper McKenzie system — a change of pace from the river’s wade-and-cast trout water elsewhere.
