It is a rare treat where I get a day to hike with my beautiful wife. So when you get the chance, I don't pass it up! The Oregon Coast has a variety of places you can go where humans have not left their imprint. The Siuslaw National Forest is wild and you should definitely put it on your list! We arrived at the trailhead to it being not very crowded at all. We put on the packs and headed in. This hike always makes me think I am on Endor from the Star Wars trilogy. We looked for Ewoks, but unfortunately found none. It was just beautiful this time around, and a treat for my wife who was enjoying it for her first time. We made our descent and crossed the bridge on the upper part of the creek to head for the falls.
We moved on to the exhilarating part of this hike. The Drift Creek Suspension Bridge! Built in 1997, the bridge is dedicated to the late Scott Paul, (no relation I assure you) who was a trail builder with the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Mr. Paul was the construction foreman on the early Forest Service portion of the construction. He died in a tragic rigging accident during construction. The bridge was completed by Sahale, a firm that specializes in trail bridge construction. The bridge is 100 feet high above Drift Creek, and is 240 feet long. It is three feet wide and is supported by 2 29' towers anchored into the rock on each side. It is intimidating the first time you cross this bridge. If you do not like heights, this may not be the hike for you. Once you are accross you see why all the fuss! Drift Creek Falls is 66' high and cascades in a narrow stream from the top to the creek bed below. We hiked down to the base of the falls and picks a shady spot and settled in. The sound of the water is soothing, and it was so nice to be back here!
The hike out was so nice! You do all of your elevation gain returning to the trailhead. You need a Northwest Forest Pass which is purchased online from the Siuslaw National Forest website. Also a America The Beautiful Pass is accepted to park at the trailhead. Such an amazing day with my best friend and the weather could not have been better. Enjoy the pics and watch the YouTube video below of this hike! More adventures to come!
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