FALL CREEK FALLS - WATERFALL HIKING SOUTHERN oregon WITH KIDS
Fall Creek Falls is one of our favorite hikes. Whenever we are in the North Umpqua we have to visit because the trail is so enchanting. You hike along Fall Creek the whole way through lush, old-growth forest with lots of ferns and gorgeous green plant life. The greens are so bright you feel like you are in a magical world. Gary and I have done this hike a couple of times, so seeing our kids reaction was gold, and as they ran around exploring, balancing on logs, and sifting through rocks, you can see their imaginations unfold by the minute.
The hike starts with crossing a log bridge and then taking left along Fall Creek. The hike takes us gradually uphill until we reach two huge moss covered boulders that we walked in between. Just that experience in itself is so magical, we were looking for elves at every turn.
As we headed up the trail the incline starts going a little steeper and then we got to a kind of beach area where Olivia got so excited to touch the water! She’s our official water thermometer, gauging if it’s warm enough to get into. (Anything above 50 will do for her, lol.) This is where we find our first painted rock, and what a beautiful detailed job they did!
As we continued on the trail it started going steeply uphill. Along the way the kids got some tree climbing in, because they never met a tree that they didn’t want to climb.
As we came over the hill that first glance of the waterfall always makes my heart lift and Fall Creek Falls is such a gorgeous one. You can pretty much get right up to the base and it since it is only 50 feet tall the spray isn’t too far reaching so you don’t get soaked like other larger falls. It really is a beauty (but aren’t they all)!
Of course Ilias and Olivia HAD to balance on the logs and get to the other side to challenge themselves. There are lots of places to sit, so if it does get a little busy there is room for everyone. Luckily we had the whole place to ourselves just about until we were ready to head up to the second tier.
One thing Gary and I hadn’t done in the past was continue up the trail to see the middle and top tiers, so it was fun to take the kids to see the middle one. It’s literally only one tenth of a mile up two switchbacks to see the middle tier. We decided to stop there because we were pretty tired from driving from Medford and our bellies were hungry. Next time we will go to the top!
On the way back to our car Ilias and Olivia just had to climb a downed tree that they had been eyeing on the way in. We’ve had people voice concern that they might break there arms or hurt themselves but as long as they aren’t scared we let them push their boundaries. Olivia gets a little nervous on the way down but with some gentle nudging she always conquers her fears.
This is such a great hike you must add it to your kid-friendly or romantic outdoor date list, and if you want to hike to another waterfall close by Susan Creek Falls is just up the road. Checkout our previous story to see more details HERE.
Getting out to hike with our kids is one of favorite activities to do as a family and as they get older it’s fun to watch them progress in the difficulty level they can handle as well as their endurance keeps getting stronger so that they can go on longer hikes. We are so excited for more adventures to come as we travel around Oregon, the Pacific Northwest and even beyond!
If you would like to see more pictures from this hike checkout my gallery HERE and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
Happy adventuring!