Highlights
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 4 mile loop
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet
Season: Accessible year round
Notes: This hike is featured in “Oregon’s Ancient Forests: A hiking guide” – Get the book here!
About this Hike
Brice Creek, easily accessible from Cottage Grove on the I-5 corridor, is a popular summer destination for those looking to swim in cold pools and bask on streamside rocks, but it’s also accessible year-round for forest, wildflower, mushroom, and waterfall lovers. The easy access to the area and the forests surrounding it on this north end of the Umpqua National Forest mean that these surrounds have been heavily roaded and logged, but fortunately the ancient forests along this part of Brice Creek were spared.
After parking at the upper trailhead, walk across the bridge on the road to find the trail on the left. Turn left to begin following Brice Creek downstream. This first part of the trail follows an old water pipe, so the trail is elevated and flat, but the forest is lush and lovely. After a third of a mile, you’ll come to a bridge over Trestle Creek, with a view to its confluence with Brice Creek. Just past the bridge, take the side trail to the right to go to Lower Trestle Creek Falls. This 0.3-mile trail gains a bit of elevation as it goes up a canyon lined with huge Douglas-firs, tall bigleaf maples, ferns, and mossy rocks. The hundred-foot waterfall sits at the end of the trail in the recesses of the canyon, with piles of fallen trees and a jumble of boulders barring access for all but the most sure-footed. After returning to the main trail, continue downstream through a beautiful cathedral-like old-growth forest grove on a bench above Brice Creek. This stretch and a few others are among the few really old sections of forest. Most of the trail is through a younger (200- to 250-year-old) forest of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, and Pacific yew, with scattered huge, fire-scarred Douglas-firs—remnants from the last iteration of this ancient forest. In a few places, you’ll also spot incense cedar.
A half mile from the Lower Trestle Creek Trail, you’ll intersect the Upper Trestle Creek Falls Trail, which loops up and above the lower falls to another enchanting waterfall and then descends back toward the upper trailhead.
Getting There
From Eugene, drive Interstate 5 south to Cottage Grove exit 174. Head east on Row River Road, staying on the south side of Dorena Lake. About 17 miles from the freeway, stay right at a Y intersection onto Brice Creek Road (Forest Road 22) and proceed another 4.5 miles to the Cedar Creek Campground. Continue to the upper trailhead parking area on the left side of the road another 3.5 miles past Cedar Creek, just before the bridge over Brice Creek.
Take Action
Mature and old-growth forests like those found along Brice Creek provide vital wildlife habitat, drinking water, and are an important natural climate solution. Take action to defend these forests here.
Brice Creek is proposed for protection under the River Democracy Act as a Wild & Scenic River. Take action to support this bill here.
