Overview
Enjoy a short hike through shaded Douglas-fir and riparian forests to two delightful waterfalls along the South Fork of the Alsea River and Peak Creek.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 2.4 miles
- Terrane: 300 elevation gain
- Open: All year. Best in winter and spring for more dramatic flows.
- Trailhead: Alsea Falls Recreation Area Trailhead (44.32586030561114, -123.49103660823984)
- Contact: Bureau of Land Management, Salem OR
Highlights
Waterfalls; river and creek access; wildlife potential; shaded forest.
Need to Know
Roads to the trailhead are gravel, but passable with a regular passenger vehicle. Park in the day-use area. There is amply parking here. It costs $3 for day use which is payable by cash or check. A pit toilet is available. Be prepared for little to no cell service during the drive and on the trail.
Hike Description
Alsea Falls
The hike begins at the Alsea Falls Recreation Area. As you make your way toward the river, almost immediately you hit a junction. Take a left here to follow a short path that follows the South Fork to Alsea Falls.
Stop at the first viewpoint along the trail for an up-close look at Alsea. The riverbed has been scoured clear of sediments, exposing slabs of solid bedrock that you can walk out if the flow is low enough.
Continue downstream for a second look at Alsea at a distance. Look for a large log jam just downstream of the viewpoint and falls. Alsea Falls is a natural barrier for fish passage—the large woody debris acts as a marker for the end of salmonid-bearing waters.
Notice the trees and shrubs along the riverbank as you make your way back upstream to where you started. In the fall, look for splashes of color along the shore where deciduous trees and shrubs are more plentiful. Bigleaf maple and vine maple both reach over the banks near Alsea Falls—framing it in bright green or yellow depending on the season.
Turn left when you get to the junction and head over the bridge that spans the South Fork of the Alsea River. Enjoy the unique perspective of the river water as it glides toward the falls as you cross. Shrubs like salmonberry and vine maple, hang over the banks offering forage for beaver and fodder for the aquatic insects and other invertebrates that call the river home. Tall skinny red alder trunks also crowd the banks.
Green Peak Falls
On the other side of the bridge take a left at a junction, following the trail into a shaded Douglas-fir Forest toward Green Peak Falls. Mature second-growth Douglas-fir trees can be seen at intervals, while mossy arms of Bigleaf maple reach across the trail from above. Look for large old stumps—a sign of the bygone days of logging in the area.
The trail angles up along a ridge just above the South Fork of the Alsea. Young, scaley-leaved western red cedars grow tucked away among the larger trees. Sword fern and Oregon grape make up much of the understory plants.
A grove of red alder surrounds the boulder-strewn stream at a small turn-off along the trail that leads to the river edge.
Eventually, the dirt path widens at a campsite with a gravel road heading left. Follow the alder shaded gravel road, watching for trail markers that confirm you are going the correct way. Keep right past two turnoffs, threatening to get you off track.
Soon you will reach a trail junction near a large (often occupied) gravel camping spot on your right. Continue right past the site to rejoin the trail for Green Peak falls on the other side.
Follow the dirt trail that borders Peak Creek, a tributary of the South Fork of the Alsea River, through a stretch of floodplain forest and younger secondary forest.
There are a few spots where hikers can drop down by the creek to enjoy the cool rush of water or look for signs of wildlife. Beaver are known to visit the area, foraging on the cambium of branches of western redcedar and alder that line the banks—a snack shack for beaver. Look for their trademark incisor marks on branches hanging over the water.
Next, hike through a section of mature forest, before reaching 50-foot Green Peak Falls as it rushes down a convex rock face. Take the steps down to the base of the falls to get a better look. On a hot summer day, enjoy the cooling effect of the water spray.
If the water is low enough, explore the rocky shores. You may be lucky enough to find a pile of chewed sticks scattered from upstream beaver colonies. Look for macroinvertebrates, like caddisfly, clinging to the rocks.
Having fully explored the stream habitat, return as you came.