A popular recreation area in the Willamette National Forest is reopening this spring.

That’s after Eugene Water & Electric Board finished a nine-year improvement project at Carmen-Smith Hydropower Project in the Upper McKenzie River.

EWEB refurbished its power house and rebuilt the substation at the Hydroelectric Project.

Patty Boyle is EWEB’s Carmen-Smith License Supervisor. She said the work was a $10.8 million reinvestment to provide clean renewable energy into the future.

“That was a reinvestment in the hydroelectric system in order to be able to provide really clean and renewable energy over the next 40 years as we operate this project,” she said.

Boyle told KLCC that, as part of their licensing renewal agreement with federal regulators, the utility rebuilt the campgrounds, day-use facilities and hiking trails in the area.

“Also, with an eye on the long term future,” she said. “The facilities are really well laid out. The infrastructure is new and the roads are all in place ready for recreators to come back and enjoy for many years to come.”

Boyle said there’s additional signage in place as well as more accessible features at many of the facilities for people with mobility issues. She said there’s been a lot of interest over the past nine years from the public in having access to the recreation sites.

As of May 1, recreation areas around Carmen-Smith will reopen to the public. The Forest Service will start taking reservations for Trail Bridge Campground on April 1 at recreation.gov.

Rachael McDonald is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/01/oregon-campgrounds-recreation-reopen-spring-hydropower-project/