The Forest Service Is Considering Closing Tamolitch Pool to Swimming

A proposed U.S. Forest Service project would bring major changes to Tamolitch Pool, a popular swimming hole on the McKenzie River.

Along with adding a 3-acre, 100-space parking lot to the trailhead, the Forest Service is considering closing Tamolitch Pool to swimming.

The proposal is a response to overcrowding and safety issues at the pool. The bright blue water is often frigid and surrounded by steep terrain. According to the Forest Service, at least eight serious accidents have occurred at Tamolitch Pool since 2012. By the first month of last summer, there had already been 10 rescue requests at the swimming hole.

“These natural hazards can lead to slips and falls, broken bones, hypothermia, hyperventilation, cardiac arrest, and drowning,” reads the proposal. “Emergency responders are often delayed because the existing parking area on the shoulder of Forest Service Road 2672655 is overcrowded.”

Potential changes also include new restroom facilities, decommissioning an overrun stretch of trail leading up to the pool, and constructing a new 3-mile trail.

The project is now open for public comment until May 31.