Abiqua Falls Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Abiqua Falls Trailhead
- End point: Abiqua Falls
- Hike Type: Out and back
- Distance: 0.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 180 feet
- High point: 1,420 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Seasons: Year-round
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes, on sunny weekends
Contents |
Hike Description
NOTE: People have fallen here, most recently in March 2017. The slope is steep and can be treacherous in wet conditions. Please use extreme caution. See map for the best route down to the creek. Also keep in mind that this is private property owned by the Mt. Angel Abbey and Longview Timberlands. They have generously allowed the public to have access here.
Abiqua Falls is part of the same geological formation as the waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park, and in fact is not far from there as the crow flies (although significantly longer in distance when going by road). It is completely unsigned, and the trail is a bit rough, but it's worth it.
From the parking area at the gate, walk back along the road in the direction you came from. Skip the first rough trail that leaves right from the end of the parking area. Look down the hill on your right after about 100 feet and you'll see a second trail dropping down through the trees. The first few steps are on a steep slope skirting a roadside maple. Take this a short distance to where it curves left (the right branch immediately takes you to an open area at an old road). Continue dropping steeply down the hill for 0.2 miles until you reach the creek.
Turn left upstream along the creek, following a rough trail for another 0.2 mile or so. You will have to climb over and around rocks and logs, but it can be done. During periods of high water, you'll need to climb a steep slope to get around some logs, but during low water, it's easier to walk on the exposed river rock for much of the distance. The trail ends at the huge basalt bowl where Abiqua Falls plunges into a very big splash pool. There is a large rocky area jutting out into the pool from which you can admire the falls, or walk over the mossy rocks to the left around the edge of the bowl.
Return the way you came.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Good clearance needed to get to the trailhead; access difficult in wet weather
- Leave dogs and kids at home: steep, treacherous trail
Maps
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Abiqua Falls
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Abiqua Falls
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon by Adam Sawyer
- Day Hikes in the Pacific Northwest by Don J. Scarmuzzi
- Afoot & Afield Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
- 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington by William L. Sullivan
- Wild in the Willamette edited by Lorraine Anderson with Abby Phillips Metzger
- Waterfall Lover's Guide: Pacific Northwest by Gregory A. Plumb
More Links
- Abiqua Falls: Easy-to-Follow Directions (While We Were Wandering)
- Short Hike to Abiqua Falls (The Outbound)
- Abiqua Falls (Hike Oregon)
- Worth the Journey to Abiqua Falls (Travel Oregon)
- Abiqua Falls (Outdoor Project)
- Your Guide to The Abiqua Waterfall Hike Near Portland (Oregon Is for Adventure)
- Abiqua Falls (Rove)
- Trail Guide: Abiqua Falls Trail, Oregon (Territory Supply)
- "Hike to Abiqua Falls" (Statesman Journal)
- Abiqua Falls Trail (All Trails)
- Abiqua Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
Contributors
- justpeachy (creator)