McKenzie Highway vine maple stock image, Willamette national forest, oregon

The McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway takes you on a journey through a land of contrasts. On the west side of the Cascades, you’ll encounter lush Douglas fir and red cedar forests; on the drier east side, lodgepole pines prevail. Lava fields adjoin snow fields, providing a stark black and white contrast between the forces of fire and ice, a contrast that’s often mirrored in crystal-clear lakes, whose still waters are countered by several cascading waterfalls. Here you see a vine maple in its resplendent fall color.