Trestle Creek Falls

[MariposaMan]

Hi Folks…

For whatever reason, I was locked out of my account when I attempted to login and post this trip report a number of days ago. After finally giving up (site administrator email link also didn't work), I decided to re-register. Well, enough complaining… here's my report:

On April 5 I ventured out for a quick hike to Trestle Creek Falls, located in the Umpqua NF approximately 28 miles southeast of Cottage Grove. It was a pleasant enough outing, and makes for a good excuse to finally submit my first trip report (albeit a brief and very amateurish one). I really value the info shared and exchanged in this forum, and believe it high time to impart a few musings from my own experiences. Please excuse the pic quality, as my ancient little point-and-shoot's capabilities are rather limited.

This was my first visit to the falls. In fact, I'd say more than a decade has passed since I last wandered the area (cycling Row River Trail). Anyhow, the trailheads are easily accessible via a gently climbing, smoothly paved road that follows Bryce Creek into the Calapooya Mountains. I began and ended my loop hike at the Champion Creek TH, which as a non-pay site proved convenient since I managed to leave my NW Forest Pass at home.

There's actually an Upper and Lower Trestle Creek Falls. From the Champion TH my route took me first on the upper falls trail––about a 2.5-mile loop starting from the east junction with the Bryce Creek Trail and descending gently to the west junction. From there I walked 1.0 mile downstream and crossed the footbridge to Lund Park (pay site), where I took advantage of the porta-potty. Retracing my steps, I continued upstream a short distance past the upper falls trail junction and trekked up and back the approximately 0.3-mile trail to the lower falls before returning to the car––about 5.5 leisurely miles in total. Consult the Umpqua NF or BLM website for the details. Trail conditions were quite good––only a few muddy spots and two fallen trees to maneuver with minimal effort.

Mixed stands of mature fir, cedar, and hemlock characterize much of the environment, as do the usual suspects of sword fern, Oregon grape, salal, and the bright-green, new growth of oxalis. Trillium appeared intermittently and was perhaps the most conspicuous of flowers. Numerous budding rhododendrons promise splashes of pink in another month or so. The aqua-blue pools of gently cascading Bryce Creek are inviting even on a 50degree, early spring day. The fun thing about the upper falls is that the trail goes behind the falls––something like Silver Falls SP but on a smaller scale.

[BrianEdwards]

Nice deep forest and a great pair of falls. Great choice for an outing