Curious Hiker: McDowell Creek Falls Loop

Overview

A short ramble through a mixed conifer-broad leaf forest takes you past two waterfalls that roar to life during the winter and early spring. The varied terrain and near-constant rush of water stimulate the senses as you walk. Enjoy the mist from the falls on a hot day or take refuge in the forest in the case of rain. McDowell Creek is a popular all-season hike best visited on a weekday.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Distance: 1.6 miles
• Terrane: 300 feet elevation gain
• Open: All year. Best in winter and spring for high flows.
• Trailhead: Royal Terrace Falls Trailhead at McDowell County Park (44.464657, -122.680844)
• Contact: Linn County Parks and Recreation Department

Highlights

Multiple waterfalls; varied terrain; forest setting; easy access; spring wildflowers; fun hike for kids.

Need to Know

Roads to the trailhead are paved. There is plenty of parking available at the trailhead and no passes are required to park. A restroom and picnic areas are accessible at the trailhead. Dogs allowed on leash.

Hike Description

Staircase

From the parking lot look for a bridge that crosses over rushing Fall Creek. A sign with a map marks the entrance.

Hike up the dirt trail through a forest of bigleaf maple, Douglas-fir, and western hemlock—wrapped in bright green moss that drips with moisture in the rainy season. Sword fern and salmonberry grow below the open canopy.

The muddy trail continues up past a junction leading left to the base of Royal Terrace Falls on a wooden bridge. Stay right, hiking up steep stone steps with sidelong views of water rushing down Fall Creek, including a nice view of Royal Terrace Falls in profile.  

At the top of the falls, cross the creek on a wooden footbridge. Western redcedar trees congregate along the creek banks, inviting one to linger. A small user trail can be explored off to the left before making your crossing.

Follow me into the Forest

Duck below the long branch of a western redcedar, as you continue uphill. Look for Oregon grape, thimbleberry, and red huckleberry, in addition to sword fern and salal, amongst the Douglas-fir and hemlock trees. Western redcedar are more commonly seen through this section of the trail, and young grand fir with their flat stiff branches may be spotted in the understory.

At an unmarked junction, follow the trail to the right. The grade eases a bit as you near the high point of the hike. Views toward the hills and valley in the distance are limited by the Douglas-firs and bigleaf maples growing along the trail.

Soon you will reach a road crossing and enter a forest that’s undergrowth has been overtaken by a thicket of blackberry. Both the invasive Armenian blackberry and native trailing blackberry grow here—the invasive species, as thick stalks that shoot upwards; the native, as vines that hug the ground creating a network of tripping hazards for anyone that dares walk through the prickly woods.

Majestic Falls

The trail crosses another road next to a parking lot before dropping down to aptly named Majestic falls—plunging 39 feet vertically into a pool below. A red-barked pacific yew angles awkwardly overhead before you arrive at a large viewing platform.

From here, take some time to appreciate the falls—considered the most scenic in the park by many. The rocks here are 22.8-million-year-old coarse-grained anorthositic diabase—a type of volcanic rock, similar to basalt, but that cooled underground rather than at the surface.  

McDowell Creek

Ignoring a set of stairs that lead uphill to the left, follow a series of wooden stairs and platforms dropping to the right. Be sure to stop at additional viewpoints along the way, as you make your way to a bridged crossing of McDowell Creek.  

Follow the trail downhill passing torrents of water—McDowell creek on your left.  Pass by 14-foot Crystal Falls—a small plunging punchbowl partly hidden by streamside vegetation.

Look for edible redwood sorrel and shiny, heart-shaped leaves of false-lily-of the-valley, growing in clusters on the forest floor. Pacific Bleeding heart and Trillium bloom in the spring.

Further down, a small rock slide waterfall framed by a western red cedar and hemlock glides over bare bedrock toward a sediment-filled pool.

In less than a quarter-mile, cross the road again before reaching a wooden bridge that arches over McDowell Creek.  

Royal Terrace Falls

Shortly thereafter, arrive at another footbridge that spans Fall Creek at the base of 119 feet Royal Terrace Falls. Whitewater horsetails, stair-step over smooth rock surfaces—one with a small, eroded hole—before spilling out at the base and gliding further downstream.

The terraces of the falls are made up of a variety of rock types put down tens of millions of years ago during the Little Butte Volcanics—ancestral Cascade volcanism and sedimentation.  

A bench placed just before the bridge offers an opportunity to rest and reflect.

At the far end of the bridge stands a rare Pacific yew—its red bark showing in patches beneath a green coating of moss that covers much of the bark, branches, and leaves.

A few paces from here, take a right at a junction and follow the trail less than a quarter-mile back to your car.