With the weather man cooperating today, giving us great hiking conditions, I set out to find another elusive falls that a co-worker in Scotts Mills told me about. I headed out Sawtell Road south of Molalla to the end where it splits into 3 forks. Took the right fork (Elk Prairie rd) until I met Butte Creek Rd, took a right on Butte Creek rd and followed it until the road got nasty, soon I came to a very large clearcut, after 500 feet on the left was a large clearing to park at to begin the hike. The view from the truck was great.
Looking West
Looking East, you can see the cliff formation that creates the falls
From the truck, me and my sister headed east along the top of the cliffs until we found a way down. After a fairly good scramble down to another bench, the view back up to the truck was great.
The truck is just out of sight on the far top of the clearcut
After further scrambling down the steep hill, we came to more cliffs and a dead-end route. We had to climb parially back up and head west to find another route. Eventually found a sketchy route down and headed up canyon. There was a small seasonal falls on the left as we made our way up canyon.
The picture doesn't show it, but theres quite a bit of water falling down that rock.
After a good hike through the brush, we made it to the forest again. The sound of the creek was intense. Fall Creek is losing alot of elevation fast in that area. We made it to the creek and had to ford it twice to scramble up the steep gorge. Right at this shot is the remains of a long abandoned bridge on an abandoned road.
After 200 feet further up the creek, the falls came into view. I was thouroughly impressed with these falls. Pictures as always don't give it any justice.
More:
I climbed up the steep rock slope to get a better vantage point.
Another
A shot of the bottom
One more
All in all it was a great hike, took around two hours there and back but with a lot more elevation gain then i'm used to (especially my sister). After seeing the recent interest here of some of my bushwacks, I've ordred a 12 mp camera, so hopefully this is the last hike with phone pictures.
Thanks for looking everyone.
Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
- BrianEdwards
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Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
Last edited by BrianEdwards on February 28th, 2010, 9:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- AlexanderSupertramp
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Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
Wow, that looks great Brian! Nice report.
Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
About time someone bagged that sucker. I found some pictures of it on Panoramio a month or so back which were the first I'd ever seen of the falls. Yours do a much better job of illustrating the falls though. I'm curious whether you saw any remnant of the old logging roads that crossed Fall Creek downstream of the canyon? Topo maps and Google Earth make it look like it'd be a hell of a lot easier to approach the falls via the old roads than scrambling down the canyon (though a longer hike).
- BrianEdwards
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Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
Hey Bryan, right where we got to the creek was the remains of an abandoned road and long-gone bridge, forgot to mention that. My creek photo was looking upstream standing in the creek right where the bridge was. I'll go back and edit my post. From that bridge spot it was only 200 feet or so upstream to the falls.
Clackamas River Waterfall Project - 95 Documented, 18 to go.
- Splintercat
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Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
Nice, Brian! You're covering some great waterfalls down in that area. This one is particularly photogenic, though I'm taking a hard look at those old roads as a possibly easier way in to the base of the falls....
Tom
Tom
Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
Those are pretty good pictures with a cell phone. Looks like a really nice falls.
- BrianEdwards
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Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
Splintercat wrote:Nice, Brian! You're covering some great waterfalls down in that area. This one is particularly photogenic, though I'm taking a hard look at those old roads as a possibly easier way in to the base of the falls....
Tom
Thanks Tom, I'm glad you and Bryan brought up the point about the roads being easier. Most of the time I approach a falls on the shortest route from the truck, nevermind elevation involved. (We're not talking Hell's Canyon here ). The routes I've taken haven't been the easiest. If I'm alone, I usually get to the falls, take a few pics and head back.
Aywolfpac, all these shots were with an iPhone. It does ok, but nothing compared to the quality that many members here produce with a digital camera, so I'm goin that route.
Last edited by BrianEdwards on March 14th, 2010, 9:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
im going to have to remember to try and make it to those, i live close and hike around the Molalla area frequently. They looks like nice falls
Re: Fall Creek Falls (Elk Prairie)
nice work Brian, sort of reminds me of the other Falls Creek Falls…
Good going.
Good going.