Like most people in the Boise area I've been to Oregon several times, usually to go to the coast. While this is great reason to go, there are several road trips worth of great hikes and sites away from the coast.

        This report covers Highway 138 running from Crater Lake National Park to just short of Roseburg. There are numerous lakes, streams, waterfalls, forest hikes, etc. along this stretch of road and would be a great road trip from Boise.

        Currently there are only 5 hikes and Crater lake listed here. Unfortunately the first time I drove through this area I was on my way home and didn't get to partake in many of the hikes. This is just a start of what is out there. I am planning more trips through this area so expect much more to come!

(1) Susan Creek Falls - July 2003

        Susan Creek falls is a beautiful falls located 29 miles east of Roseburg. The trail to the falls is less than one mile (one way).  This is a well maintained trail and completely shaded by trees the entire length. There is almost no elevation change.

        I made the walk to this waterfall in July of 2003. There is a small parking lot and a sign at the trailhead (north side of the road). Sounds like it would be crowded but we were able to make the trip to the waterfall and back without seeing another human being. Very very pretty waterfall and surrounding area. The picture below is looking back from the waterfall. More information on this area can be found here
 

     The waterfall is a bit different than most and is hard to photograph. My camera was having issues (unknown to me at the time - the lens was dirty) so it is a good thing that I did not work my way into uncomfortable places to get a better picture. The falls are much larger than the picture suggests. The river itself gouges pretty deep into the rock after the falls as well. The water appears a bit dirty due to the constant rain. There was some snow as well but it was quickly melting. I could not find much in the way of pictures or reviews of this fall on the web so I have no idea how it would  be in the spring summer.

     As you can see from the map this fall is a little more out of the way compared to the others. If you have to choose between this and Wolf Creek then go for Wolf Creek. The trail itself is better than Yakso or Grotto (4 and 5) but the waterfall rates lower.

     Directions from Glide: Little River Road #17 begins at Glide across from the colliding rivers (GPS: N 43 17.761 W 123 06.139). Follow this road for 7.5 miles to Cavitt Creek Road. Follow this road for about nine miles to the trailhead of Shadow Falls trail (GPS: N 43 09.364 W122 56.656). There are bathroom facilities at the trailhead. There is no sign marking it as Shadow Falls trail until about 50 feet into the trail.

     Other links: Here

     The trail is fairly short, about 1.2 miles to the waterfall (GPS: N 43 13.120 W 122 56.914). All of it beautiful. There is also a very short split trail that leads to a picnic table providing a great place for a lunch. This is a very easy trail with nearly no elevation gain or loss. Super hike for the family. There are bathroom facilities on the trail head.

     There are actually two waterfalls with one coming right after the other. The first one is about 50 feet and the second one is about 75 feet. With all the rain the falls were running pretty high. That and the fact that it wasn't exactly hot kept me from getting into the water to get better pictures of the falls. The pictures I did get were still pretty good. There is a climb to get from the trail to the bottom of the falls if you choose to do so.  

      I had never considered doing any of the small hikes on this road as there seemed to be a plethora of them on 138 itself. Being that it rained non-stop the entire time I was in Oregon this time (read: SNOW east of Glide) I tried to find areas that would not have snow. I'm glad I did.

     I have no idea how crowded this trail usually is. I happened to be hiking it on Thanksgiving morning. Not only did I not see another person on the trail, I did not see a car for the three+ hours I was on driving up and down the road.

     Directions: From Glide: Little River Road #17 begins at Glide across from the colliding rivers (GPS: N 43 17.761 W 123 06.139). Follow this road to the trail head. It is about 14 miles and is marked with a sign and a walking bridge across the little river (GPS: N 43 14.021 W 122 57.069).

     Other links: Here Here Here

     The trail itself is very short (the sign says 1/4 of a mile). It is also mostly uphill. The walk is pretty but not so much as Wolf Creek, Hidden Falls, or Yakso. The falls are the main attraction. I only followed the trail to the falls but have been told that it continues to the top of the falls where there are a few smaller falls.

     Even though this was only a few miles from Wolf Creek there was a lot of snow! (see picture below) most of the drive from Wolf Creek is up a mountain. The snow turned deep right at the trail head (the truck became stuck on the small bridge at the trailhead, we had to push it out).

     The flow seemed much heavier than usual (judging from other pictures I've seen) and all of the walls even away from the falls had water coming down and made for a very interesting picture (see below). I wish I had more time to explore! 

     I was still having problems with my camera ( I actually did not notice it until Grotto which was the last falls I mad a visit to) so I had to do some very small time delays to get the spots not to appear. I have not played with doing time lapse photos yet and these are way to short.. But it did make the photos interesting.

     Directions: From Glide: Little River Road #17 begins at Glide across from the colliding rivers (GPS: N 43 17.761 W 123 06.139). Follow this road for 15.5 miles to Lookout Mountain Road across from Collwater campground (GPS: N 43 13.867 W 122 52.252) It has a sign indicating Grotto Falls. Follow this road up the mountain for 4.5 twisty miles to Road 2703-150. It is another 2 miles to the trail head. It is right after a small bridge and has a restroom (GPS: N 43 14.905 W 122 49.428).

     Other Links: Here Here Here Here Here

     The trail is under one mile and has very little elevation change. While not as pretty as Wolf Creek or Shadow Falls it is still a nice walk through the forest. It includes a couple of small wood bridges and mountain streams. There was snow cover when I was here and while I did not see other people on the trail I did hear some very loud gunshots.

     The Waterfall was much heavier the day I was there than any pictures I have seen. Most likely due to all the rain and snow. Combine this with increases sediment from the flow increase, the snow, the wind, the cold, etc. You get not the greatest picture taking opportunity. Still, you get the idea.

     There are two other falls near this one I did not get to see. Upper Hemlock and Lower Hemlock falls are a short walk on a different trail near the trail head for Yakso falls. There are also two small lakes and a campground at the trail heads.

    Directions: From Glide: Little River Road #17 begins at Glide across from the colliding rivers (GPS: N 43 17.761 W 123 06.139). Follow this road for 25-26 miles (GPS: N 43 13.105 W 122 43.450) to the trail head. The trail is just across the road from the "lake in the Woods" campground and has a restroom in front for the trail head. The trail is not marked as "Yakso Falls" until about 50 feet into the trail.

     Other links: Here Here Here Here

        Brief history: 7,700 years ago Mount Mazama (over 12,000 feet high) erupted. More than 150 times the Mount St. Helens eruption was ejected. This left a large empty space underneath the mountain and caused it to collapse. This left a vast basin (caldera). Over time this basin filled with rain and snow (there are no rivers to this lake) to create Crater Lake, one of the deepest and purest lakes in the world.

        This is a must see if you are anywhere in the area. There is a ten dollar fee to enter the national park. There is a road all around the crater (33 miles) with numerous stopping points. The annual snowfall here is 533 inches (yes 44 feet) and there was still snow in July when I visited though it was quite warm.

        When you enter the park you are given a newspaper that outlines things to do in the park. Ten hikes that go anywhere from 30 minutes to over three hours were listed in mine. There is only one hike that gets you to the lake and it is a 700 foot drop over a one mile. There are lots of brochures available online about hikes and other activities here.

        While the popular spots tend to be a bit crowded for my taste, its more than worth the visit. I stopped at Rim Village for lunch on the way back to Boise. It had a superb view of the lake. There is also lodging and camping available with lots of online information available

        I think the lodge would be a good destination from Boise for the first day of a road trip! It puts you right at the highway outlined above. Next time I drive it I'll get the time it takes to travel from Boise. I'm guessing it runs 6-7 hours.