Fall Creek Falls
(Sept. 11th burned Fall Creek Falls trailhead picture by Daniel Metz)
Hike Details:
Mileage: 1.6 miles out and back w/ 710 ft. elevation gain
Approximate hike time: 40 minutes w/ an average pace of 2.3 mph
Difficulty: Easy
Trail usage: High on weekends, low to medium on weekdays
General location: 31 miles east of Roseburg off of OR-138 - Umpqua National Forest
Suggested seasons: Spring, summer, fall, winter
(This waterfall is best seen in the early spring time. There are less people here in the late fall, winter and early spring. Late spring and summer there are many more tourists).
Permits required: N/A
Pit toilet at trailhead: Yes
Trail allows: Dogs
Approximate hike time: 40 minutes w/ an average pace of 2.3 mph
Difficulty: Easy
Trail usage: High on weekends, low to medium on weekdays
General location: 31 miles east of Roseburg off of OR-138 - Umpqua National Forest
Suggested seasons: Spring, summer, fall, winter
(This waterfall is best seen in the early spring time. There are less people here in the late fall, winter and early spring. Late spring and summer there are many more tourists).
Permits required: N/A
Pit toilet at trailhead: Yes
Trail allows: Dogs
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Description:Fall Creek Falls is a short and sweet Southern Oregon waterfall hike off of Highway 138. People take advantage of the many waterfalls along this scenic highway and often times take a whole day to check out the 7 different waterfalls, all of them very short hikes.
Fall Creek Falls Trail starts at a small trailhead with room for a maximum of 6 cars, depending on how people park. So arrive early if you can. From the parking lot you will immediately cross a bridge and there are restrooms with flushable toilets on your right. One of the first cool things about this trail is that all of a sudden the trail comes to some semi truck sized boulders, which you end up walking through. It is a really cool experience to walk between these giant moss covered rocks for a few hundred feet. |
(huge rocks that you walk through)
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Once you pop out of the rock crevasse, the trail immediately starts heading uphill via two switchbacks as you continue going upstream. You will see old-growth Douglas fir trees and a very lush, mossy green environment. After a short walk through the forest, you will see the lower tier of Fall Creek Falls dropping 50 feet into a beautiful clear pool of rocks below. The spray here is quite strong, so if you want to take some pictures, you might want to take cover behind some of the large boulders nearby so that your lens doesn't get wet. From further away, and a little to the left of the trail, you can also catch a glimpse of the second tier of the waterfall. |
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(4th tier of Fall Creek Falls)
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(3rd tier of Fall Creek Falls)
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After admiring the bottom tier, make your way up another two switchbacks to a viewpoint of the second waterfall tier which is 35 feet tall. Most people stop at the bottom waterfall drop, so you'll lose some of the crowds going up. From here the trail does continue up even further another two switchbacks to the upper two tiers of Fall Creek Falls, which is hard to see because it just drops off the cliff and you don't want to get too close to the edge. With all 4 tiers, the total height of Fall Creek Falls is 120 feet. |
(viewpoint from the top of Fall Creek Falls)
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This grassy lookout area is the perfect place to sit and have a picnic lunch with the family. Here you can see into the North Umpqua River Valley and you can see burn scars from the 2017 Fall Creek Fire that burned over 43,000 acres of forest! |
(1st and 2nd tier of Fall Creek Falls)
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Overall, this is an easy hike with lots to see. The trail is very well maintained but can have a few trees down in the early spring season. The trail also gets muddy after a lot of rain in the spring time. The trail is not very wide, so please be respectful of other hikers that you are passing, especially on the steep switchbacks. And always remember to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles.
On your drive back home, you should definitely make a pitstop at the Tioga foot bridge. It is made out of cedar wood and it smells absolutely amazing! This bridge has replaced Young's Bay Bridge and was finished in 2013. It is built out of a single 137-foot timber glu-lam tied arch main span, flanked by two 70-foot timber glu-lam girder approach spans. It is very reminiscent of the old Young's Bay Bridge but has a modern touch to it. The purpose of this bridge is to connect Highway 138 to the 79 mile long North Umpqua River Trail. This makes it so that the nearly 16 mile Tioga section can be easily split up into two day hikes.
On your drive back home, you should definitely make a pitstop at the Tioga foot bridge. It is made out of cedar wood and it smells absolutely amazing! This bridge has replaced Young's Bay Bridge and was finished in 2013. It is built out of a single 137-foot timber glu-lam tied arch main span, flanked by two 70-foot timber glu-lam girder approach spans. It is very reminiscent of the old Young's Bay Bridge but has a modern touch to it. The purpose of this bridge is to connect Highway 138 to the 79 mile long North Umpqua River Trail. This makes it so that the nearly 16 mile Tioga section can be easily split up into two day hikes.
(Tioga Bridge)
Directions:
Directions: From the heart of Roseburg take OR-138 E towards Diamond Lake. Stay on this road for a total of 32.3 miles. About 4.3 miles after the Tioaga Bridge, keep your eyes out for the Fall Creek Falls trailhead on your left.
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To get a more in-depth and personal view of this hike, watch the YouTube video.
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*All pictures are taken by Franziska Weinheimer before the fire of September 2020.
*Disclaimer: The trail descriptions, mileage, GPS tracks and difficulty ratings depicted on this website are never 100% accurate. Always hike at your own risk, using your own knowledge, equipment and common sense. Franziska Weinheimer/Hike Oregon are not responsible if you or anyone in your party gets injured or lost while attempting one of these or any other hikes.
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