Susan Creek Falls Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Susan Creek Falls Trailhead
- Ending Point: Susan Creek Falls
- Trail Log:
- Hike Type: In and out
- Distance: 1.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 105 feet
- High Point: 1,065 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
|
Contents |
Hike Description
Susan Creek Falls is a cool, short respite for those traveling the North Umpqua Highway. The trail to the falls is just west of the Umpqua National Forest on Bureau of Land Management land. Various sources estimate the height of the falls as up to 70 feet, but they are not as high as often claimed.
The wide trail winds gradually up from the restrooms in a varied forest of Douglas-fir, Oregon white oak, Pacific madrone, big-leaf maple, western hemlock, and incense-cedar. The trail joins an old road bed coming up from the left, passes under powerlines, and then drops down into the lush bottomland around Susan Creek. Here white fir and western red-cedar add to the forest mix. Heading up the creek, the trail reaches a junction. There is a viewpoint for the falls on the east side of Susan Creek, but the best viewpoint is on the west side, accessed by crossing the creek on a footbridge. Susan Creek Falls are about 40 feet high and are a pretty sight even in the summer low-water season. There’s a picnic table below the footbridge.
There's a day-use area across Highway 138 from the trailhead. If you wish to extend the walk, you can hike west from there on the universal access Emerald Trail to the new Tioga Bridge over the North Umpqua River (This 3/4 mile trail and the bridge were inaugurated in 2013). On the opposite bank, you can join the North Umpqua Trail: to the west, it's 7.8 miles on the Swiftwater Segment; going east, the Tioga Segment is 8.0 miles long. A trail also leads east from the day-use area along the river to the Susan Creek Campground.
Note: The Susan Creek Fall Trail used to loop down the west side of the creek, but that section has been decommissioned. Also, from the westside viewpoint, a rough 1/3 mile extension of the trail led up to the top of the canyon to a fenced-in talus ridge of "Indian mounds" and pits. These have become overgrown with time and the trail was closed at the waterfall as of this writing.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Dogs on leash
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service & U.S. Department of the Interior: Bureau of Land Management: Land of Umpqua
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Susan Creek Falls Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Susan Creek Falls Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon by Adam Sawyer
- Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
- 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon by William L. Sullivan
- 50 Hikes in Oregon by David L. Anderson
- Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest by David L. Anderson
- Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
More Links
- Susan Creek Falls (BLM & USFS)
- Susan Creek Falls Trail (BLM)
- Susan Creek Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
- Falls of the North Umpqua River (Oregon.com)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)