At least 11 notable waterfalls are located on the North Umpqua River or one of its many tributaries. Each can be easily accessed directly off or a short distance from Hwy 138 as you drive the 60 miles between Idleyld Park and Diamond Lake. I skipped two of them on this trip to the area since I had seen Tokatee Falls and Watson Falls just eight months ago.
Deadline Falls
Deadline Falls is so short, it would be easy to miss if not for the whitewater created amid the waters of the North Umpqua River.
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| Deadline Falls |
A short walk on a trail bordered by bushes and plants took me from the day-use area to where the view opened up.
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| Fireweed |
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| Pearly Everlasting |
Susan Creek Falls
I hiked a relatively easy 1.4 miles through green plants and a scattering of live trees amid a landscape that had experienced a wildfire some years ago.
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| Wild Carrot |
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| Common Snowberry |
At the end of the trail was the 50-foot Susan Creek Falls tucked away in a kind of alcove.
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| Susan Creek Falls |
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Susan Creek
(flowing southward to the North Umpqua River) |
Fall Creek Falls
I hiked 2 miles within rocky canyon. At one point, the trail threaded its way through a narrow fissure in a large boulder.
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| Striated Rocks |
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| Walking between Two Parts of the Same Rock |
While I did my best to avoid the widespread poison oak and blackberry thorns, I stopped frequently to look more closely at some of the other plants.
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| Wild Teasel |
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| Snowbrush Ceanothus |
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| Bull Thistle Attracts a Western Tiger Swallowtail |
As the trail wound its way upward, I was able to see the double falls with its tiers of 35 and 50 feet from a variety of distances and angles.
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| Fall Creek Falls |
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| Upper Tier |
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| Lower Tier |
Steamboat Falls
While only 25 feet high, the width of Steamboat Falls apparently expands many times what you see in this picture as the volume of Steamboat Creek increases.
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| Steamboat Falls |
Little Falls
Angles, sunlight, and obstructions prevented me from capturing a quality photo of this small waterfall where the water of Steamboat Creek flows between and pours over basalt boulders.
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| Little Falls |
Whitehorse Falls
This 15-foot waterfall on the Clearwater River was impressive, even in the middle of summer.
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| Whitehorse Falls |
Clearwater Falls
The Clearwater River tumbles down 30 feet as its waters find their way over and between moss-covered rocks and logs to form Clearwater Falls.
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| Clearwater Falls |
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| Whitewater Settles & Begins to Flow Away |
Lemolo Falls
A 3.4-mile roundtrip between the rim and bottom of a canyon enabled me to get a great view of where the North Umpqua River plunges 102 feet. "Lemolo" is Chinook jargon meaning "wild" or "untamed." I got an inkling of this when I stood next to the river.
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| First View of the Falls |
Although I was still some distance away from the falls, the mist quickly began to coat me and everything I carried. While it was cool and felt wonderful, I didn't want to get soaked nor sacrifice another camera. I can only imagine what it was like up close.
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| Close Enough |
Warm Springs Falls
A short walk through a forest on a trail bordered by countless rhododendron plants brought me to an overlook.
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| Trail through Trees & Plants |
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| Pacific Rhododendron |
Down below stood the 70-foot Warm Springs Falls where its waters drop through a cleft in the basalt columns and into a bowl circled by rocks covered in green hues.
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| Warm Springs Falls |
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