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Westfir, home to some 300 people, is nestled along the lower portions of the narrow North Fork river valley just above its confluence with the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. It is located about one mile east of State Highway 58 and is a four mile drive west of the City of Oakridge. Westfir was formed as a mill town and officially incorporated in 1979, making it one of Oregon’s newest cities. The Office Covered Bridge spans the North Fork and is the longest in the state, and the only covered bridge in the state that has a separate covered pedestrian walkway.
Westfir is located on the southern edge of a large, contiguous block of public lands that are part of the Willamette National Forest. These lands provide a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities including trail hiking and biking, horseback riding, lake and river fishing, hunting, kayaking and rafting, camping, off-highway vehicle use (at the nearby Huckleberry Flats OHV trail system), and driving for pleasure.
Forest Service Road 19, also known as Aufderheide Drive, is a two lane paved road that has been designated as a Federal Scenic Byway. It exits Westfir at the Covered Bridge and parallels the North Fork for about 32 miles until it climbs over Box Canyon and into the McKenzie river drainages. The Scenic Byway eventually connects to State Highway 126, making for a pleasant day loop drive from the Eugene/Springfield area. There are three developed campgrounds accessed by Aufderheide Drive in the North Fork watershed; Kiahanie - about 20 miles above Westfir, Skookum Creek - about 36 miles above, and Box Canyon - about 32 miles above.
The North Fork of the Middle Fork Willamette River has been designated a Federal Wild and Scenic River and a State of Oregon Scenic Waterway. The source of the North Fork is Waldo Lake, the second largest natural lake in Oregon and known to contain some of the world’s purest surface waters. Westfir takes its water directly from the North Fork and provides some of the purest municipal water in the State. The North Fork also provides a number of outstanding swimming opportunities in the summer when the water is warm.