Drift Creek Falls

The hike to Drift Creek Falls is pretty mild. When we arrived, there were 3 other cars in the lot; when we let there were at least 20. We've been to this trail at least twice in the past - 2002 and again in 2006 - no where near the traffic on the trail that we saw today.

This weather today was overcast, but very mild. 60s. In the valley, it was in the 80s. This trail is 10 miles up in the hills from Lincoln City. From the trail head it is 10 miles to Hwy 101 (you come out by Taft area); and 9 miles to Hwy 18.

The trail leads to a suspension bridge that spans 240 feet, is 100 up in the air; 29-foot tall towers on anchor either end. Materials, including concrete, were mobilized to the site via helicopter, and the mainspan was erected from a skyline, more than 100 feet above the canyon floor.

The bridge is dedicated to Scott Paul, a US Forset Service trail builder who envisioned and pursued building the bridge, and lost his life in a rigging accident during its construction. The bridge dedication in 1998, written by his close friend and owner of the company that finished the bridge, is well worth a read.

Drift Creek was named for the accumulations of driftwood on its banks. The trail descends about 400 feet. At trailhead, elevation is 900 ft above sea level, at the bottom, 530 ft. The falls drop 80 ft from top to bottom. Drift Creek Wilderness generally receives some 120 inches (3,000 mm) of rain per year, which leads to a very lush environment. In autumn, chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout use Drift Creek, a tributary of the Alsea River, to spawn.

Natives of the Alsea tribe used to hunt and gather berries in Drift Creek Wilderness and the surrounding area. Salmonberries, an orange berry resembling a raspberry, are important food for Native Americans. It is one of the numerous berries gathered to incorporate into pemmican. It is said that the name came about because of the their fondness for eating the berries with half-dried salmon roe.

Preparing for travel

Hiking at Beacon Rock in preparation for upcoming trip in foreign lands that will involve lots of walking. The day at Beacon Rock was beautiful, mild, and in the 70s. Here we are looking west, down the Columbia River.

Beacon Rock is the core of an ancient volcano. The ice-age floods through the Columbia River Gorge eroded the softer material away, leaving this unique geological structure standing by itself on the banks of the Columbia River.

The trail to the top is an engineering marvel - it crosses 25 bridges and makes 47 switchbacks. It's about one mile one way to the top of the rock, 15% grade, with an elevation gain of 850 feet.

Henry J. Biddle, a Portland businessman, purchased the rock to save it from destruction by the railroad. The trail was built between 1915 and 1918 by Biddle and Charles Johnson. That makes it one of the oldest trails in our area. At the time, Biddle owned the rock, so he had complete latitude to blast and bridge his way to the top. The NP Railroad, had slated Beacon Rock for demolition (!!), the rubble would have been used for railroad beds. In 1935 Biddle's heirs turned the rock over to the state for use as a park. Additional development was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Beacon Rock served as a landmark for river travelers for hundreds of years. The Indians knew it marked the last of the rapids on the Columbia River and the beginning of tidal influence from the Pacific Ocean, 150 miles away. Lewis and Clark were the first white men to see the rock. They camped at its base in November of 1805, noting the rock in their journal and giving it its present name.

Here is a view looking east towards Bonneville Dam area.