Exploring the Umpqua National Forest Waterfalls in Oregon

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Remote, wild, and scenic – this sums up Umpqua National Forest successful a nutshell. We overshot our archetypal camping spot adjacent a tiny lagoon, but acknowledgment to that Google Maps Fail, we recovered the astir idyllic setting!

We drove past a glistening lake, traversed heavy into the forest, down a constrictive ungraded roadworthy filled with potholes that kept getting narrower and narrower, and lone erstwhile the woods opened up to a clearing with a water successful the halfway did we deliberation – yep, this is our spot.

On the representation we were successful the incorrect place, and possibly it wasn’t the campground we intended, but what we discovered was full serenity and seclusion, a rarity these days.

It was the cleanable mode to commencement our exploration of Umpqua National Forest, known for its rugged hiking trails, blistery springs, and champion of all, spectacular waterfalls. We had travel present to cheque retired the Umpqua National Forest waterfalls and bask immoderate much-needed respite from the chaos of the city.

In this guide, we stock the waterfalls we discovered. Or, you tin ticker our adventures successful this video.

About Umpqua National Forest

Umpqua National Forest is located connected the occidental slopes of the Cascade Mountains successful southwest Oregon.

It’s conscionable implicit an hr eastbound of Eugene, astir 3 hours southbound eastbound of Portland, and nether 2 hours southbound westbound of Bend.

The protected wood encompasses 983,239 acres crossed 3 counties (Douglas, Lane, and Jackson). This beautifully divers portion of Oregon was created thousands of years agone by powerful, geologic activity.

The wood present is truthful dense, it feels astir storybook – rows of hemlock, fir, cedar, conifer and hardwood trees intertwine together, blanketing the wood level with dappled sunlight and the aromas of nature.

river moving done Umpqua National Forest ORegon

river moving done Umpqua National Forest

The champion mode to acquisition this wood is connected the 172-mile Rogue-Umpqua National Scenic Byway, which cuts done the bosom of it, pursuing the Umpqua River and the beauteous wood of the Coast Range. This road is besides lovingly nicknamed the Highway of Waterfalls, arsenic it has 17 beauteous cascades on its route.

This corridor has seventeen waterfalls you tin research connected abbreviated hikes, immoderate sections of the stream tin adjacent beryllium enjoyed connected an adventurous whitewater rafting trip.

The connection Umpqua loosely translates to either “Thundering waters” oregon “across the waters,” but different translation for this surviving connection of the Umpqua connection is “satisfied” referring to a afloat stomach.

Whichever sanction you spell by, they each ringing existent for me.

Umpqua National Forest Waterfalls

bridge implicit a stream successful a forest

girl lasting adjacent to a tiny waterfall

Waterfall chasers volition emotion knowing determination are galore waterfalls to observe successful this region, galore connected abbreviated accessible trails AND you whitethorn adjacent get the waterfall each to yourself.

You’ll find tumbling waterfalls, lush wood vegetation, rushing rapids, and alpine lakes successful Umpqua National Forest.

Most hiking trails and waterfalls are recovered disconnected the North Umpqua Highway Route 138 connected the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway successful the Umpqua National Forest.

Here are immoderate of the astir fashionable waterfall trails successful Umpqua National Forest

1. Watson Falls Trail

Watson Falls, Umpqua National Forest, Oregon

Distance: 0.8 miles (1.3 km)
Elevation: 132 meters
Difficulty: moderate
Time to complete: 45 minutes
Trailhead location

I truly enjoyed this casual 0.8 mile hike to the viewing country of the 272-foot Watson Falls. It is the 3rd tallest waterfall successful the authorities and thunders implicit a craggy cliff surrounded by a lush wood of Douglas-firs, ferns, and moss covered boulders astatine the basal of the falls.

The way has a steep incline successful 1 section, but is precise manageable and doesn’t past long.

It tin get slippery successful the country that catches its spray.

2. Toketee Falls Trail

Tokatee falls spilling into excavation successful lush jungle

Distance: 0.8 miles (1.3 km)
Elevation: 52 meters
Difficulty: easy
Time to complete: 25 minutes
Trailhead location

Toketee Falls had a lush, tropical quality that reminded maine of Hawaii. It’s 1 of the champion waterfalls I saw successful Oregon.

It’s an easy, abbreviated locomotion retired to the lookout constituent to spot this two-tiered waterfall thundering into the pools below.

The precocious falls descent drops 28 feet, and the little falls plunges 85 feet implicit a sheer partition of basalt.

The way passes done an old-growth basal of Douglas-fir, Western reddish cedar, large leafage maple, and Pacific yew.

The North Umpqua River is disposable astatine respective points, cascading done a constrictive stone gorge.

People were climbing down to the pools below, but a motion intelligibly says to stay connected the path.

Remember to respect signage and instrumentality attraction of our forests. The viewpoint is simply a perfectly wondrous spot to spot the falls and seizure a photo.

Toketee Falls are featured successful our Best Waterfalls successful the US list.

3. Umpqua Natural Hot Springs Trail

a small miss successful a blistery spring

Distance: 0.6 miles (1 km)
Elevation: 45 meters
Difficulty: easy
Time to complete: 20 minutes
Trailhead location

This way pb to a beauteous bid of terraced geothermal blistery springs successful the Umpqua National Forest.

You scope them connected the short, but steep, Umpqua Hot Springs Trail trail. It’s precise doable, adjacent with kids. Someone was carrying a motorcycle up determination erstwhile we were coming down. It tin beryllium slippery though, truthful beryllium careful.

Water seeps done an progressive fault, resulting successful temperatures of 100 to 115 degrees. From the tub, determination is simply a presumption of Surprise Falls crossed the North Umpqua Wild and Scenic River.

As you mightiness expect, it’s 1 of the astir fashionable attractions successful the park. If we came erstwhile it was quieter, I deliberation I would person fallen successful emotion arsenic the scenery is conscionable spectacular. But it was precise busy, truthful our champion blistery outpouring enactment was connected the bottommost layer, which was verging connected what I’d telephone cool. Paired with a acold day, it wasn’t ideal.

The springs astatine the apical of the terrace are the blistery ones and are overmuch bigger. It’s worthy getting present aboriginal truthful you tin bask the hotter pools to yourself earlier the crowds come.

Also, it’s worthy mentioning that Oregon is simply a precise earthy and unfiltered state, truthful families beryllium warned, many radical volition beryllium nude astatine these blistery springs.

I don’t person a occupation with this astatine all. Savannah thought it was hilarious and Kalyra was enactment disconnected and begged maine not to portion off. No accidental honey!

Most radical were precise humble and decent astir it. Maybe sneak dilatory up to scout it retired archetypal and spot if it’s thing you’re comfy with.

4. Steamboat Falls Trail

steamboat falls gushing implicit cliff face

Distance: 100 meters
Elevation: 2 meters
Difficulty: easy
Time to complete: 5 minutes
Trailhead location

For families not looking to bash immoderate hiking astatine all, instrumentality connected the Steamboat Falls trail, which takes you to Steamboat Creek wherever you tin spell swimming, oregon formed a enactment and bash immoderate fishing.

The waterfalls are not huge, lone astir 20-feet, but it feels powerful, particularly successful the outpouring erstwhile the runoff from the melted icecaps successful the wintertime owed drain into the creek.

5. Grotto Falls Trail

Distance: 0.4 miles (0.8 km)
Elevation: 56 meters
Difficulty: moderate
Time to complete: 20 minutes
Trailhead location

This out-and-back way is abbreviated and sweet, and is large for hikers oregon way runners looking to get distant from different people.

What’s peculiar astir Grotto Falls is you tin locomotion down it’s 100 ft cascade, which is fed by the Little River.

This is 1 of the closest experiences you tin get to a waterfall successful Umpqua National Forest.

6. Susan Creek Falls Trail

Distance: 1.4 miles (2.4km)
Elevation: 57 meters
Difficulty: moderate
Time to complete: 40 minutes
Trailhead location

The Susan Creek Falls way is abbreviated and family-friendly, and finishes astatine the stunning Susan Creek Falls which plunges for 60-feet.

It’s fed by the North Umpqua River, and is surrounded by lush, mossy vegetation.

If you privation to hike further, you tin proceed connected this way to sojourn the Susan Creek Indian Mounds, which were believed to person spiritual powers and assistance visions by Native Americans.

This way does get rather steep though.

7. Deadline Falls

You don’t request to travel a hiking way to spot Deadline Falls, it tin beryllium accessed from the road.

While this isn’t the biggest oregon astir almighty waterfall successful the forest, it’s unsocial successful that you tin often spot salmon jumping successful it.

8. Shadow Falls Trail

Distance: 1.4 miles (2.4 km)
Elevation: 99 meters
Difficulty: 45 minutes
Time to complete: moderate
Trailhead location

Shadow Falls takes you connected a reasonably level way to a triple-tiered waterfall connected Cavitt Creek totals 100 feet high. The sanction stems from the acheronian chasm the falls driblet into, seldom receiving nonstop sunlight.

The creek works its mode done a stone fracture, forming a constrictive grotto. The past 0.2-mile has a tiny descend to the viewing country for the falls. What hikers emotion astir the way is the alteration from mature to old-growth trees with a lush understory.

9. Fall Creek Falls Trail

fall creek falls way dropping into excavation adjacent beach

Distance: 0.9 miles (1.6 km)
Elevation: 88 meters
Difficulty: moderate
Time to complete: 35 minutes
Trailhead location

Hikers volition emotion the abbreviated but saccharine way to the stunning Fall Creek Falls, which has aggregate tiny tiers cascading implicit a moss-covered cliff.

The way itself winds done an old-growth forest, wherever you’re surrounded by verdant greenery made of Douglas-fir, hemlock, and sweetener pine.

When you scope the pools, chill disconnected with a aquatics successful its excavation below.

10. Hemlock Falls Trail

Distance: 0.9 miles (1.6 km)
Elevation: 74 meters
Difficulty: moderate
Time to complete: 35 minutes
Trailhead location

Following Hemlock Creek, this retired and backmost way is the cleanable blend of lakes and waterfalls.

It’s a abbreviated hike, starting from adjacent the aptly named Lake successful the Woods campground, passing by a serene water and into the dense forest.

It’s a tiny waterfall, but hardly anyone visits, truthful it’s cleanable if you privation seclusion successful the woods.

11. Lemolo Falls Trail

Distance: 3.4 miles (5.5km)
Elevation: 117 meters
Difficulty: moderate
Time to complete: 1 hr 25 minutes
South Trailhead / North Trailhead

The Lemolo Falls way is an out-and-back way which tin either beryllium done from the northbound oregon southbound end.

The southbound way has a descent into the North Umpqua Canyon, which offers a presumption of Lemolo Falls, which plunges 150 feet into the canyon below.

There is past a way from the apical of the falls to the canyon below, which is rather steep truthful instrumentality attraction erstwhile descending.

The northbound trail, you tin dilatory ascend the way and walk a bid of tiny cascades done constrictive gorges, earlier reaching the bottommost of the falls.

If you conscionable privation to spot the falls, instrumentality the southbound way head, but if you similar a longer, much gradual hike, past instrumentality the northbound trailhead.

Tips for visiting Umpqua National Forest

Be carnivore aware. Black bears unrecorded successful these forests, truthful beryllium definite to battalion carnivore spray and don’t permission immoderate nutrient lying astir your campsite.
Poison oak is present too. Don’t rotation disconnected the trails arsenic poison oak grows connected the wood floor. If there’s a motion saying not to deviate from the trail, determination is simply a crushed for this, truthful travel it.

Best Time to Visit Umpqua National Forest

The champion clip to sojourn Umpqua National Forest is precocious outpouring (May – June) oregon aboriginal autumn (September-October) as you’ll acquisition milder temperatures, less crowds.

The summer’s successful Southern Oregon tin get blistery and determination is the imaginable for wildfires, and the winter’s tin beryllium freezing and roads covered successful snow, which tin origin way closures.

While Umpqua National Forest is unfastened each twelvemonth round, you should beryllium definite to cheque the forecast earlier visiting and cheque the national parkland website for immoderate closures.

Campgrounds successful Umpqua National Forest

There are 40 maintained campgrounds successful Umpqua National Forest, each offering either cabins, boondocking and RV docking, oregon structure camping.

The 3 main campsites we looked astatine were:

Clearwater Falls Campground, which is tiny and surrounded by aged maturation Douglas fir forest, positive located disconnected the Rogue-Umpqua National Scenic Byway.
Whitehorse Falls Campground, a sheltered campsite adjacent to the Clearwater River. It’s smaller than the Clearwater Falls Campground, but offers the aforesaid facilities.
Lake successful the Woods Campground, which is wherever we tried to spell but got mislaid and ended up chaotic camping successful a parking country nearby. It’s located adjacent to a 4 acre man-made water and is 1 of the largest campsites successful the forest.

Car and RV Rental

You volition request a conveyance to research this region, truthful unless you person your own, you’ll privation to prosecute one. Discovercars.com is who we spot to find the champion car rental deals. Find availability successful Eugene oregon Portland.

RVshare is the archetypal and largest peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace. They tin accommodate immoderate benignant of outdoor escapade for your Pacific Northwest roadworthy trip.

Whether a play camping travel oregon longer circuit of aggregate states, they person a scope of rentals from affordable question trailers to luxury motorhomes.

See Prices & Availability Here