Oregon Coast Outside: Waterfalls
Suspense, and sensibility
Explore the romantic cascades of the Coast Range
Story & Photos by NIKI PRICE
Oregon Coast Today
We should not have been surprised to encounter dewy red rose petals, evidence of some romantic interlude, on the suspension bridge over Drift Creek Falls. This hike, in the midst of the Siuslaw National Forest 30 minutes outside of Lincoln City, combines pure beauty with a bit of risk, followed by a steady uphill climb — the perfect place to pop the question. “Just say yes,” I can hear him say, “but don’t look down!”
You don’t have to wait for a special occasion to visit one of the Coast Range’s gorgeous waterfalls, but you do need to go soon. Our falls are at their best in the spring, when the streams are swollen but the roads and paths are passable. Once the warm, dry weather arrives (which, believe it or not, will probably happen) some waterfalls disappear entirely.
Now is the time of year to start your waterfall “collection.” Hike out, take a photo and keep a journal, and you may find yourself with a new spring tradition that you can share with the one you love — and scatter those rose petals for the rest of us to enjoy.
Drift Creek Falls
For a moderate, half-day excursion that will keep you in suspense, you can’t beat Drift Creek Falls, east of Lincoln City in the Siuslaw National Forest (note: this is the northernmost of two Drift Creeks found in the Coast Range, the other is near Waldport).
This 3-mile hike bends down through changing forest settings, including a little old growth, to arrive at a 75-foot horsetail-type falls, picnic tables and creek access.
From the parking area, the trail descends through Douglas fir, sword fern, salmonberry and huckleberry. The trail switches back 400 feet, through red alders, hemlock and Western red cedar, down to mossy logs and big leaf maples.
Mini-mushrooms, fabulous fungi, late trillium flowers, clovers, slugs and the songs of birds in the canopy make this a great hike for families — if you aren’t afraid of heights or watching your children run across them. The 240-foot long suspension bridge, built in 1997, is dedicated to the memory of Scott Paul, who died while working on the rigging. Thanks to Paul and his fellow crew members, we can all enjoy this scenic wonder, safely.
Drift Creek Falls No. 1378
Length: 3 miles round trip
Elevation change: 400 feet
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Season: Trail open year round.
Facilities: Vault toilet at trailhead, picnic table at bridge
Fee: $5 day-use fee, or season/lifetime forest pass
How to get there: From Hwy. 101 south of Lincoln City (and north of Salishan) turn east east on Drift Creek Road. Turn right on South Drift Creek Road, ¼ mile, then left onto Forest Service Road 17. Stay on F.S. Road 17 to trailhead, approximately 10 miles.
or...
From the junction of Hwy. 101 and Hwy. 18 (north of Lincoln City), take Hwy. 18 east 4.5 miles. Turn south on Bear Creek Road (also marked as Cougar Mountain and Drift Creek Covered Bridge), and travel 3.5 miles until the road becomes F.S. Road 17. The trailhead is 7 miles farther.
For details: Siuslaw National Forest, Hebo Ranger Station, www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/ or 503-392-3161.
Munson Creek Falls
If time is short and expectations are great, head to the most accessible and impressive waterfall in this neck of the woods: Munson Creek Falls, named for Goran Munson, a native of Michigan who settled the area in the 1890s. A triple horsetail falls down 319 feet, it’s the tallest cascade in the Coast Range, and it’s just two miles on gravel road from Hwy. 101, south of Tillamook.
The trail is less than a mile round trip, a straight shot through big-leaf maple, old-growth Western red cedar and Sitka spruce (including one of the country’s tallest remaining Sitkas, at 260). You can also enjoy red alder, salmonberry, sword ferns and many kinds of moss in a cozy box canyon.
Parking at the trailhead is limited, and there is no — I repeat, NO — turnaround space for recreational vehicles.
Munson Creek State Natural Site
Length: .5 mile round trip
Elevation change: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Open year round
Trailhead facilities: None
How to get there: Munson Creek Road is located six miles south of Tillamook on Hwy. 101. Turn east, and take the gravel road for 2 miles.
For details: Oregon State Parks, oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/ or 800-551-6949.
Editor’s note: Niagara Falls, one of the Siuslaw National Forest hikes we have recommended in the past, is currently closed due to dangerous trail conditions. It may be open later in the season. For details, call the Hebo Ranger Station, 503-392-5100, or check back in on this story in the weeks to come. For now, here's a past description of the falls...
Niagara Falls
This trail, a 1-mile walk through dense foliage, actually leads to two beautiful cascades within sight of one another. Niagara, named for a nearby point (rather than the obvious namesake in New York), is a 107-foot plunge-type fall, while Pheasant Creek Falls is a segmented 112 feet. Both lie near the border of Tillamook and Yamhill counties in the Nestucca River drainage, about 18 miles (on windy roads) east of Hwy. 101.
Improved in the late 1980s, this trail features four benches, wood bridges and a picnic table at the bottom. This time of year, hikers can see the last of the trillium flowers, in purple, pink and white, as well as baby ferns, salmonberries and red thimbleberries amidst the second growth canopy of Douglas fir and red alder. Squirrels, Steller’s jays and black-tailed deer share the path.
If you’ve caught the waterfall collecting bug, check your map for Clarence Creek and Alder Glen Falls; both are within a short drive of the Niagara Trail. The no-fee Rocky Bend campground is centrally located to all four waterfall destinations.
Niagara Falls Trail No. 1379
Length: 2 miles round trip
Elevation change: 300 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Season: Open year round
Facilities: Picnic table at the end of the trail.
How to get there: From Hwy. 101 at Beaver, travel east on Blaine Road for 6 miles. At Blaine Junction, veer right to travel east on Upper Nestucca River Road for 5.8 miles to Forest Service Road 8533, on the right. Go south 4.3 miles to Forest Service Road 8533-131. Turn right at the junction and travel 0.7 miles to trailhead parking.
For details: Siuslaw National Forest, Hebo Ranger Station or 503-392-3161.
Explore the romantic cascades of the Coast Range
Story & Photos by NIKI PRICE
Oregon Coast Today
We should not have been surprised to encounter dewy red rose petals, evidence of some romantic interlude, on the suspension bridge over Drift Creek Falls. This hike, in the midst of the Siuslaw National Forest 30 minutes outside of Lincoln City, combines pure beauty with a bit of risk, followed by a steady uphill climb — the perfect place to pop the question. “Just say yes,” I can hear him say, “but don’t look down!”
You don’t have to wait for a special occasion to visit one of the Coast Range’s gorgeous waterfalls, but you do need to go soon. Our falls are at their best in the spring, when the streams are swollen but the roads and paths are passable. Once the warm, dry weather arrives (which, believe it or not, will probably happen) some waterfalls disappear entirely.
Now is the time of year to start your waterfall “collection.” Hike out, take a photo and keep a journal, and you may find yourself with a new spring tradition that you can share with the one you love — and scatter those rose petals for the rest of us to enjoy.
Drift Creek Falls
For a moderate, half-day excursion that will keep you in suspense, you can’t beat Drift Creek Falls, east of Lincoln City in the Siuslaw National Forest (note: this is the northernmost of two Drift Creeks found in the Coast Range, the other is near Waldport).
This 3-mile hike bends down through changing forest settings, including a little old growth, to arrive at a 75-foot horsetail-type falls, picnic tables and creek access.
From the parking area, the trail descends through Douglas fir, sword fern, salmonberry and huckleberry. The trail switches back 400 feet, through red alders, hemlock and Western red cedar, down to mossy logs and big leaf maples.
Mini-mushrooms, fabulous fungi, late trillium flowers, clovers, slugs and the songs of birds in the canopy make this a great hike for families — if you aren’t afraid of heights or watching your children run across them. The 240-foot long suspension bridge, built in 1997, is dedicated to the memory of Scott Paul, who died while working on the rigging. Thanks to Paul and his fellow crew members, we can all enjoy this scenic wonder, safely.
Drift Creek Falls No. 1378
Length: 3 miles round trip
Elevation change: 400 feet
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Season: Trail open year round.
Facilities: Vault toilet at trailhead, picnic table at bridge
Fee: $5 day-use fee, or season/lifetime forest pass
How to get there: From Hwy. 101 south of Lincoln City (and north of Salishan) turn east east on Drift Creek Road. Turn right on South Drift Creek Road, ¼ mile, then left onto Forest Service Road 17. Stay on F.S. Road 17 to trailhead, approximately 10 miles.
or...
From the junction of Hwy. 101 and Hwy. 18 (north of Lincoln City), take Hwy. 18 east 4.5 miles. Turn south on Bear Creek Road (also marked as Cougar Mountain and Drift Creek Covered Bridge), and travel 3.5 miles until the road becomes F.S. Road 17. The trailhead is 7 miles farther.
For details: Siuslaw National Forest, Hebo Ranger Station, www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/ or 503-392-3161.
Munson Creek Falls
If time is short and expectations are great, head to the most accessible and impressive waterfall in this neck of the woods: Munson Creek Falls, named for Goran Munson, a native of Michigan who settled the area in the 1890s. A triple horsetail falls down 319 feet, it’s the tallest cascade in the Coast Range, and it’s just two miles on gravel road from Hwy. 101, south of Tillamook.
The trail is less than a mile round trip, a straight shot through big-leaf maple, old-growth Western red cedar and Sitka spruce (including one of the country’s tallest remaining Sitkas, at 260). You can also enjoy red alder, salmonberry, sword ferns and many kinds of moss in a cozy box canyon.
Parking at the trailhead is limited, and there is no — I repeat, NO — turnaround space for recreational vehicles.
Munson Creek State Natural Site
Length: .5 mile round trip
Elevation change: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Open year round
Trailhead facilities: None
How to get there: Munson Creek Road is located six miles south of Tillamook on Hwy. 101. Turn east, and take the gravel road for 2 miles.
For details: Oregon State Parks, oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/ or 800-551-6949.
Editor’s note: Niagara Falls, one of the Siuslaw National Forest hikes we have recommended in the past, is currently closed due to dangerous trail conditions. It may be open later in the season. For details, call the Hebo Ranger Station, 503-392-5100, or check back in on this story in the weeks to come. For now, here's a past description of the falls...
Niagara Falls
This trail, a 1-mile walk through dense foliage, actually leads to two beautiful cascades within sight of one another. Niagara, named for a nearby point (rather than the obvious namesake in New York), is a 107-foot plunge-type fall, while Pheasant Creek Falls is a segmented 112 feet. Both lie near the border of Tillamook and Yamhill counties in the Nestucca River drainage, about 18 miles (on windy roads) east of Hwy. 101.
Improved in the late 1980s, this trail features four benches, wood bridges and a picnic table at the bottom. This time of year, hikers can see the last of the trillium flowers, in purple, pink and white, as well as baby ferns, salmonberries and red thimbleberries amidst the second growth canopy of Douglas fir and red alder. Squirrels, Steller’s jays and black-tailed deer share the path.
If you’ve caught the waterfall collecting bug, check your map for Clarence Creek and Alder Glen Falls; both are within a short drive of the Niagara Trail. The no-fee Rocky Bend campground is centrally located to all four waterfall destinations.
Niagara Falls Trail No. 1379
Length: 2 miles round trip
Elevation change: 300 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Season: Open year round
Facilities: Picnic table at the end of the trail.
How to get there: From Hwy. 101 at Beaver, travel east on Blaine Road for 6 miles. At Blaine Junction, veer right to travel east on Upper Nestucca River Road for 5.8 miles to Forest Service Road 8533, on the right. Go south 4.3 miles to Forest Service Road 8533-131. Turn right at the junction and travel 0.7 miles to trailhead parking.
For details: Siuslaw National Forest, Hebo Ranger Station or 503-392-3161.
