Hiking trails are maintained on the Umpqua River Trail. Given no depredations by fire, one can hike the length of the Umpqua from Swiftwater to the headwaters at Maidu Lake. Scenery: page 1 and page 2, the Umpqua River, one of Oregon's wild and scenic rivers. Scenery: page 3, Susan Creek Trail on the Umpqua Scenic Byway. This trail is wheelchair accessible. Scenery: page 4, Susan Creek waterfall on the Umpqua Scenic Byway. The immediate area of this waterfall offers a nice picnic area on the Umpqua, a very nice campground also on the Umpqua, a hiking trail to the waterfall that is wheelchair accessible, and another, certainly less developed hike to Memorial Grounds of the native peoples. Scenery: page 5, The hiking trail at Fall Creek, boasts spectacular beauty that seems almost paradisiacal. Scenery: page 6 Fall Creek Waterfall is very beautiful, not in the way of Toketee Waterfall, but still possessing its own grandeur. Certainly, the beauty of the hiking trail contributes to this ... Be sure to go earlier in the year to get the full effect. Scenery on Steamboat Creek, tributary to the North Umpqua River: Little Waterfalls, page 7. You have to walk a few steps; for the most part, however, this waterfall is visible right off the road, and How High Did You Say the Water Was? Steamboat Creek, page 8. Scenery: page 9 and page 10, exceptionally beautiful Toketee Waterfall, on the Umpqua River. Toketee means pretty, graceful in Chinook jargon. The trail is .5 a mile. People I've talked to on the trail have complained about all the stairs, and this trail does go up and down stairs, but I tell you in all honesty, this walk is worth every step. The area around Toketee offers hot springs situated in a covered stone pool right on the canyon of the Umpqua River, Toketee Lake, created in the damming of the Umpqua, a campground, and Toketee Ranger station is close at hand if you have any extraneous questions. Scenery: page 11, wild and scenic Watson Waterfalls. Plunging over the steep walls of what almost appears to be an amphitheater, Watson falls is a powerhouse; rated as class 5 waterfall. Scenery: page 12, Watson Waterfall, the forest service rates this hike more difficult. It is a steady climb. Scenery: page 13, Ol' Pa standing above the Umpqua River. (We apologize for the quality of this photograph. I've tried to doctor it some. This is the best we've been able to come up with. That's because we're never there at the right time of day. The stone formations are quite impressive, however. Sorry. :-) Scenery, page 14, Whitehorse Waterfalls, easily viewed from the platform in the parking lot, but you can walk down and around a few steps for a frontal view if you desire. Scenery: page 15, Clearwater Waterfalls has a charm all its own. It's one of my favorites although Brad doesn't appreciate it in the way I do. I have driven along the Umpqua Scenic Byway more times than I can count, and I always stop to take a look at these falls. The forest ... the way the light falls, the clear flowing stream ... and then there's the waterfall. The waterfall offers a small picnic area and an unimproved campground, meaning there's no water. The roads used to be pretty bad, but the Forest Service had them repaired. There are only 5 or 7 campsites, as well. :-) Poison Oak can be a problem at these elevations.
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