Decided to take a day off and do a short hike. Originally the plan was to do the loop of Falls Creek Falls but ended up at the wrong trailhead (which I learned is the only trailhead, the road to the upper trailhead is washed out/blocked off) and we also got to the trailhead later than expected.

The gate on Forest Service Road 3062 to the trailhead is closed until April 1st for protection of wintering animals so it will add 2 miles each way to your trip.

Trail was in great shape there was a few trees on the trail but none where larger than a foot in diameter so they were to easy to navigate over/under. 

Got to the falls and had the whole place to ourselves! Nice midweek hike while there was no rain. Definitely will be back once the gate opens to complete the loop. 

Stopped in Stevenson after for some food and brews and Red Bluff Taphouse.

According to the FS sign, this is a free trailhead at this time. It’s a really lovely hike. The trail is well-maintained and a very easy walk. The road, however, has some pretty bad potholes and one very large one the spans the entire width of the road and was full of water. We took a low-clearance vehicle and almost couldn’t make it past this, but my partner has some some superfly driving skills and we made it :)

Plan on spending about 2 hours on this hike, counting time at the falls for photos. We did not attempt to do any root climbing past the main viewpoint of the falls where the official trail ends. We left the trailhead about 9:30am on a Saturday and it took us about 45 minutes to reach the falls. There were only two other vehicles in the parking lot at that time. We caught up to them at the falls. By the time we came back, the lot was full. Lots of off-leash dogs not responsive to voice control. If we had started an hour earlier we would have avoided most other people. I would definitely do this hike again, just on a weekday or much earlier in the morning.

There are two trails to Falls Creek Falls: 152 and 152A. 152A follows the creek while 152 takes you through the forest. We took 152A and it was lovely.

While the trail is hikeable year-round, the road in is closed December 1-April 30 so that may add several miles to the hike if you attempt it.

Since you’re in the area, take a quick 30 minute stop at Panther Creek Falls (0.2 miles roundtrip and definitely worth the detour for this amazing waterfall). Definitely don’t just stop at the first viewing platform either (you can only see half the falls from here), go down the trail to see the whole falls. The parking isn’t signed, just the old pit on the right hand side of the road with the trail on the left.

We stopped by Tommy O’s in Vancouver afterward for some lunch. The Oregon Roll was fresh and tasty.

Great hike! Road was clear, just a bit rough as usual with the potholes. The trail was easy and the small stream crossing wasn't too bad. 

A perfect day to walk to Falls Creek Falls. This popular summer destination only had a few folks on the trail and we had the falls to ourselves. Snow was falling during the hike but the trail was snowfree with the temp around 35 midday. The road was plowed, wet and gated 2 miles before the trailhead.

<3 the Gifford Pinchot!