Drift Creek Falls Oregon Hike Guide
Drift Creek Falls is a beautiful hike that takes you over the longest suspension bridge in Oregon and drops you right in front of a 66ft waterfall. The hike is heavily trafficked but family friendly, dog friendly and not difficult to complete. A hike to Drift Creek Falls consists of reverse elevation gain (starting downhill and ending uphill) that works through lush forest down to a river canyon where the waterfall is.
Drift Creek Falls Quick Facts
Drift Creek Falls Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Virtual Hike Guide: Drift Creek Falls
Distance: 3.1 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 1,031ft
Elevation Low Point: 669ft
Total Elevation Gain: 510ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 2-3 Hours
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: May – October (expect snow outside of this period)
Directions to Little Zigzag Falls
Trailhead: Drift Creek Falls TH
Getting Here: Depending on your direction of travel, there are a number of variations to get to the Drift Creek Falls TH. All of these roads are accessible by all vehicles but the roads are extremely narrow in sections and have blind turns so drive carefully.
Parking: The parking area for this hike can fit about 30-35 cars and will fill up on busy weekends. There is a non plumbing bathroom at the TH as well.
Fees: $5 or a Recreation Pass – This must be purchased before arriving at the TH.
Summary
Dogs: This is a dog friendly hike.
Camping: I am not aware of any camping options in the area, but if you know of them, please feel free to drop a comment below so that I can add them here.
Make it a Loop: The hike to Drift Creek Falls is an out and back hike but you can add a short variation to the hike about a mile in. This adds negligible mileage but does take hikers off the well traveled main trail for a bit.
Trail X Factors: Reverse Elevation Gain
Drift Creek Falls is a reverse elevation gain hike. This means that the hike down to the waterfall is all downhill and then you have to regain all of that elevation to get back to your car. The grade is not super steep but it’s worth mentioning.
Hike Tip(s): Once you cross the suspension bridge (the longest in Oregon), you will have two spots to view Drift Creek Falls – the upper and lower viewing points. While it may look tempting to head straight down to the lower view point from the upper one, do everyone a favor and take the official trail down to this spot. You can easily navigate through the river to get to the same place and not cause significant erosion to the side of the hill.
Best Views: Hiking through the lush forest is fun, but let’s be honest the star of the show for this hike is the waterfall and suspension bridge. There are so many cool viewing points here and I highly recommend exploring both the upper and lower view points in addition to the stream after the waterfall.
Drift Creek Falls Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Drift Creek Falls: June 2021
Jackie and I had been enjoying struggling through the heat wave of June 2021 in Oregon and were ready to cool off near the coast. Before arriving, we wanted to get a hike in and Drift Creek Falls was the next spot on our list. We arrived in the later afternoon on a weekday with a semi full parking lot. Most hikers had already tagged the falls and were returning back to the TH so by the time we arrived at the waterfall, we basically had the area to ourselves. We spent some time soaking in the beautiful views and enjoying the cooler weather.
This was a fairly easy hike and one that I would repeat in a heartbeat. It is family friendly, dog friendly and offers great views of a super cool waterfall.
