Horse Creek is a tributary of the McKenzie River in near the unincorporated community of McKenzie Bridge in Lane County in the

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Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. It begins in the

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in the

Three Sisters Wilderness The Three Sisters Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Cascade Range, within the Willamette and Deschutes National Forests in Oregon, United States. It comprises , making it the second largest wilderness area in Oregon, after the Eagle Cap Wilde ...

of the

Willamette National Forest The Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Oregon. It comprises . Over 380,000 acres (694 mi2, 1,540 km2) are designated wilderness which include seven ...

. Its headwaters are near the Deschutes County border and the

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

. It flows generally northwest to meet the river about upstream of the McKenzie's confluence with the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

. The map includes mile markers along the McKenzie River and lower reaches of Horse Creek. The creek flows through a series of lakes—Sunset, Horse, Middle Horse, and Lower Horse—in its upper reaches, then passes through Cedar Swamp. Named tributaries from source to mouth are Eugene, Mosquito, Pothole, Roney, Castle, Separation, Halfinger, and Spring creeks. Below that come Avenue, Cedar Swamp, Wilelada, Owl, and King creeks. Horse Creek branches into

distributaries A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. Distributaries are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary ...

as it nears the river. The named ones are East Fork Horse Creek and West Fork Horse Creek. Two additional named tributaries, Taylor and Drury creeks, enter the West Fork before it meets the river. Horse Creek Campground along the creek's lower reaches has room for up to 60 campers and 23 vehicles. Amenities include drinking water, picnic tables, toilets, and campfire rings. The campground is open from early May to late October.

Covered bridge

The Horse Creek Bridge was a

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

spanning Horse Creek near McKenzie Bridge. Built in 1937, it was dismantled in 1987, and its timbers were used in two other covered bridges, one in Cottage Grove and the other in Myrtle Creek.

References

External links

McKenzie Watershed Council
{{authority control Rivers of Lane County, Oregon Rivers of Oregon

Covered bridge

See also

References

External links