At the summit of the pass, Oregon Route 242 crosses a 65-square-mile (170 km2) lava flow just west of Sisters. Surrounded by lava, the Dee Wright Observatory was constructed in 1935 by Civilian Conservation Corps workers and named after their foreman. Visitors climb to the observatory to view the Cascade peaks visible from McKenzie Pass. Also near the summit is Clear Lake, a renowned location for fresh-water diving.
Highway 242 is not recommended for large trucks, trailers or motor homes due to numerous tight switchbacks. The pass is closed from November to July due to snow.
Parts of central Oregon were used as a training grounds for Apollo astronauts between 1964 and 1966. The astronauts would practice walking on terrain that was similar to the surface of the Moon. On August 25, 1964, Walter Cunningham struggled in a lava flow at McKenzie Pass, where he eventually fell and tore his space suit.[7] Cunningham flew on Apollo 7 in 1968.
^Mackenzie, Cecil Walter (1937). Donald Mackenzie, "King of the Northwest". Los Angeles, California: I. Deach, Jr. p. 91. OCLC 3023859.
^"Before the moon, NASA came here—Locations from Lava Butte to McKenzie Pass served as training ground for astronauts starting in the mid-1960s". The Bulletin. August 25, 1964.
External linksedit
Gerald W. Williams, McKenzie Pass at The Oregon Encyclopedia
mckenzie, pass, elevation, feet, mountain, pass, cascade, range, central, oregon, united, states, elevation5, traversed, byor, 242locationdeschutes, linn, counties, oregon, united, states, rangecascadescoordinates44, 25972, 80972, 25972, 80972, location, orego. McKenzie Pass elevation 5 325 feet 1 623 m 1 is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range in central Oregon in the United States 2 McKenzie PassElevation5 325 ft 1 623 m 1 Traversed byOR 242LocationDeschutes and Linn counties Oregon United States 2 RangeCascadesCoordinates44 15 35 N 121 48 35 W 44 25972 N 121 80972 W 44 25972 121 80972 2 Location in Oregon It is located at the border of Linn and Deschutes counties 2 approximately 25 miles 40 km northwest of Bend 3 between the Three Sisters to the south and Mount Washington to the north Oregon Route 242 goes over the pass 1 At the summit of the pass Oregon Route 242 crosses a 65 square mile 170 km2 lava flow just west of Sisters Surrounded by lava the Dee Wright Observatory was constructed in 1935 by Civilian Conservation Corps workers and named after their foreman Visitors climb to the observatory to view the Cascade peaks visible from McKenzie Pass Also near the summit is Clear Lake a renowned location for fresh water diving Highway 242 is not recommended for large trucks trailers or motor homes due to numerous tight switchbacks The pass is closed from November to July due to snow The pass is named for Donald McKenzie a Scottish Canadian fur trader who explored parts of the Pacific Northwest for the Pacific Fur Company in the early 19th century 4 5 6 Contents 1 Climate 2 Astronaut training 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksClimate editClimate data for McKenzie Pass Oregon 1981 2010 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum F C 32 9 0 5 35 8 2 1 39 0 3 9 43 1 6 2 51 9 11 1 62 0 16 7 72 1 22 3 71 2 21 8 61 0 16 1 51 0 10 6 37 5 3 1 32 6 0 3 51 0 10 6 Mean daily minimum F C 18 9 7 3 22 0 5 6 23 0 5 0 24 9 3 9 29 9 1 2 36 1 2 3 42 1 5 6 42 3 5 7 37 1 2 8 29 9 1 2 25 3 3 7 20 8 6 2 29 4 1 4 Average precipitation inches mm 12 2 310 10 8 270 9 0 230 5 8 150 3 6 91 3 6 91 1 1 28 1 8 46 3 8 97 5 8 150 11 7 300 15 2 390 84 4 2 140 Average snowfall inches cm 69 7 177 75 9 193 75 4 192 47 5 121 13 5 34 1 4 3 6 0 1 0 25 0 0 0 0 1 4 3 6 16 5 42 59 4 151 83 7 213 444 4 1 129 citation needed Astronaut training editParts of central Oregon were used as a training grounds for Apollo astronauts between 1964 and 1966 The astronauts would practice walking on terrain that was similar to the surface of the Moon On August 25 1964 Walter Cunningham struggled in a lava flow at McKenzie Pass where he eventually fell and tore his space suit 7 Cunningham flew on Apollo 7 in 1968 See also editMcKenzie Bridge Oregon McKenzie River Oregon References edit a b c McKenzie Highway Oregon Department of Transportation Retrieved January 8 2018 a b c d McKenzie Pass Geographic Names Information System United States Geological Survey United States Department of the Interior November 28 1980 Retrieved January 31 2018 ArcGIS Web Application Map The National Map U S Geological Survey Retrieved January 8 2018 Indians Surveyors Incidents Gave Names to Streams Lakes and Mountains Eugene Register Guard January 4 1942 p 5 Retrieved April 26 2015 McArthur Lewis A McArthur Lewis L 2003 1928 Oregon Geographic Names 7th ed Portland Oregon Oregon Historical Society Press ISBN 978 0875952772 Mackenzie Cecil Walter 1937 Donald Mackenzie King of the Northwest Los Angeles California I Deach Jr p 91 OCLC 3023859 Before the moon NASA came here Locations from Lava Butte to McKenzie Pass served as training ground for astronauts starting in the mid 1960s The Bulletin August 25 1964 External links editGerald W Williams McKenzie Pass at The Oregon Encyclopedia nbsp This Deschutes County Oregon state location article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp This Linn County Oregon state location article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title McKenzie Pass amp oldid 1217090524, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
