Falls Creek Falls Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Falls Creek Falls Trailhead
- End point: Falls Creek Falls
- Hike type: In and out
- Distance: 3.4 miles
- Elevation gain: 850 feet
- High point: 2,115 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: April 1st - Dec 1st
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Hike Description
As one of the most scenic waterfall destinations in the Pacific Northwest, Falls Creek Falls is understandably a popular destination. The lower two of the 335-foot waterfall's three substantial drops are easily visible via the Falls Creek Falls Trail #152A. (For a longer hike with a glimpse of the upper tier, see the Falls Creek Falls Loop Hike.) Part of the pleasure, however, is in the journey, and the hike up along Falls Creek, which at one point is squeezed into a narrow gorge, is reward in and of itself. Note that the access road, FR 3062, is gated at its junction with the Wind River Road from December 1st to March 31st to offer undisturbed habitat for local wildlife, including elk.
A wide trail leads into the forest to the left of the restrooms. After 75 yards, you’ll come to a junction, marked for a “horse camp,” where you need to keep right. The lower elevation forest here is composed of Douglas-fir, hemlock, and western red-cedar with a carpet of Oregon grape, salal, and red huckleberry. Soon you’ll be hiking along pretty Falls Creek, overhung with deciduous big-leaf maples and alders, as it drops among mossy boulders. The trail proceeds above the narrow gorge carved by the creek. In the fall, you may notice yellowing larch trees among the evergreens: the larch is our only conifer that is deciduous. About 0.4 miles from the trailhead, cross the narrow gorge on a suspension bridge and continue along the north bank of the creek.
The stream is still in view as the trail hugs a steep slope among large Douglas-firs with a number of Pacific yew trees in the understory. Cross a rocky draw and keep rising as the trail moves away from the creek. Pass the junction with the short connector trail that leads up to the Falls Creek Trail. The Falls Creek Falls Trail crosses a steel bridge over a gully of mossy boulders and then runs along a steep talus slope held together by vegetation. You’ll hike under a dripping cliff and turn a corner to get your first sighting of Falls Creek Falls. Look for tree casts in the lava outcroppings above. The trail drops and then rises to a bouldery overlook of the falls. The lowest tier of the falls plunges 90 feet into a dark amphitheater. Above this drop, the pretty middle section splashes in multiple streams down a rock face and cascades below. The very top of the uppermost section of the falls, a 110-foot veil waterfall, is only just visible from this vantage point.
Return the way you came. If you're up for a longer outing, see the Falls Creek Falls Loop Hike.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: Wind River, WA #397
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Adams Ranger District
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount St. Helens - Mt. Adams
- Adventure Maps: 44 Trails Area plus the best of the G.P.N.F.
Fees, Facilities, etc.
- Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required
- Restroom, picnic tables at trailhead
- Access road (FR 3062) gated from December 1st to March 31st
- $3 toll at Bridge of the Gods each way
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Falls Creek Falls
- Falls Creek
- Falls Creek Falls
- Falls Creek Trail and nearby points 11-11-20
- Amazing Falls Creek Falls Winter Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Falls Creek Falls
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Hiking Waterfalls in Washington by Roddy Scheer with Adam Sawyer
- Curious Gorge by Scott Cook
- PDX Hiking 365 by Matt Reeder
- 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
- Day Hiking: South Cascades by Dan A Nelson & Alan L. Bauer
- 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon by William L. Sullivan
- Take a Hike: Portland by Barbara I. Bond
- Day Hike! Columbia Gorge by Seabury Blair, Jr.
- Hiking Washington’s Mount Adams Country by Fred Barstad
- 33 Hiking Trails: Southern Washington Cascades by Don & Roberta Lowe
- Best Short Hikes in Washington’s South Cascades & Olympics by E.M. Sterling & Ira Spring
- Washington Hiking by Scott Leonard
- Pacific Northwest Hiking by Craig Hill & Matt Wastradowski
- 95 Virtual Hikes of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument by Northwest Hiker
- Waterfall Lover’s Guide: Pacific Northwest by Gregory A. Plumb
More Links
- Trail #152A Falls Creek Falls (USFS)
- Falls Creek Falls Hike (Northwest Hiker)
- Falls Creek Falls (The Gorge Is My Gym)
- Falls Creek Falls (Friends of the Columbia Gorge)
- Falls Creek Falls (Outdoor Project)
- Hike to Falls Creek Falls, Washington (The Outbound Collective)
- Falls Creek Falls (World of Waterfalls)
- Falls Creek Falls(Northwest Waterfall Survey)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)