30. Fall Creek

Note: The Fall Creek watershed, a former stronghold of low-elevation old growth, was first heavily fragmented by clearcuts (1950-1995), and now has been transformed through a series of large fires (Clark (2003), Jones (2018), Gales (2121), and Bedrock (2023)) into a predominantly snag-rich, young forest. The almost 14-mile-long Fall Creek National Recreation Trail has been burned over its entire length, and in some places has burned multiple times. Sadly, the trail can no longer be considered an old-growth hike, and is now closed for the foreseeable future.

Summary

Length                                  13.6 miles one-way; three 2-3 mile segments with old growth remaining

Difficulty                              Easy to difficult

Season                                 Early spring to late autumn

Elevation range                 910 feet – 1,420 feet

Human imprint                  High (nearby campgrounds, dispersed camping, high use)

Information                        Willamette National Forest, Middle Fork Ranger District

Primary old growth features

Attractive low-elevation riparian forest heavily impacted by multiple fires.

Description

The beautiful old forest along the Fall Creek National Recreation Trail (3455) has felt fire repeatedly in the last 25 years significantly reducing the amount of old growth in the area. The streamside trail is still scenic in all seasons though, following the riverbanks above beckoning pools and boulder perches. Recreational use is high in the summer and long-term campers crowd parking spots at times. The nearly 14-mile trail splits naturally into three segments, each still containing patches of fine old forest.

The lower trail segment running from the western trailhead to FR 1821 closely parallels Fall Creek amid luxuriant riparian communities for about three miles. At present the first two miles are hikable until reaching a large log across the trail at a tricky spot. The forest along this stretch of trail experienced significant snowdown from “Snowmageddon” in February 2019 blocking the trail with large trees, triggering small trailside slides, and damaging trail bridges. The Ranger District plans to replace a broken bridge and complete trail reconstruction in the next year or two. Snowmageddon also produced a more open upper forest canopy and an understory happy with more light. Most of the segment still sports big Douglas-fir from two distinct post-fire cohorts. However, the final stretch near FR 1821 passes through an area severely burned by the Clark Fire (2003).

The middle segment (between FR 1821 and FR 1828) used to be a favorite family hike, but part was severely burned by the Clark Fire (2003), and again by the Jones Fire (2018). It will one day be shaded again, but the stretch from FR 1821 to Bedrock Campground is quite open and exposed at present. Starting from the FR 1828 trailhead and hiking downstream tracks over a streamside terrace studded with huge Douglas-fir for about two miles, including a glade of licorice fern-adorned bigleaf maple, and a small area burned by the Puma Fire (1999). The Slick Creek bridge has been replaced and the entire trail segment is now in good shape.

The upper segment of trail (above FR 1828) returns to the south bank of Fall Creek passing through close to two miles of riparian old growth before running into the aftermath of the Jones Fire (2018) and then the Gales Fire (2021). The first couple miles are presently hikable until reaching the fire areas and large downed logs. The last couple miles of this segment are effectively closed and may not be fully restored from fire damage to the trail and trail bridges for several more years.

25 Years of Change

The trail has been heavily impacted by the Clark, Jones and Gales Fires over the last 20 years, including large areas of moderate and high severity burns. Heavy snow in 2019 caused extensive treefall and opened up the canopy in the lower segment. Long-term camping now appears to be common.

How to get there

Turn left (north) towards Lowell off of State Route 58 at the covered bridge, 20 miles southeast of Eugene. Continue through Lowell, turning left then right, and come to a four-way stop by another covered bridge 2.5 miles later. Turn right on County Road 6204 (which becomes FR 18 at the national forest boundary) and follow it for about 10.25 miles to the main trailhead for the lower segment. Park on the right just before crossing a bridge by the Dolly Varden Campground. The middle segment can be accessed from a small parking area to the right just off FR 18 on FR 1821 (3 miles further up FR 18); in the Bedrock Campground (another 2.5 miles up the road); and on the left just off FR 18 on FR 1828 (another 2.5 miles). This last trailhead also accesses the upper segment, as does a final trailhead an additional 4 miles up the road. Turn right on FR 1833 and park on the left just after crossing the bridge.