Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Drift Creek Falls (5/14/11)

During our weekend camping trip at Beverly Beach, we drove to the Drift Creek Falls trail head to get our workout on!

The 3-mile out-and-back trail loses 350 feet of elevation and has a big suspension bridge and waterfall at the bottom. There's also a 1-mile "North Loop" off the main trail.
Brad had to run 8 miles and I had to run 4, so we planned to just do laps until reaching our required distances. We managed to run the whole time except a couple spots on the loop that were really steep.

And because of where I stopped, I decided to keep going and finish it off-- for a total of 4.69 miles! GREAT workout!
The people we kept passing on the trail thought we were nuts ;)

Eryn and Mom both ran the night before and decided to walk to the falls and back. Dad, who's training to climb Broken Top with us this summer, did two fast loops for a total of about 6 miles!


The main trail is an easy grade with a fairly wide, smooth surface. The bridge is dramatic, with a large waterfall shooting off the ledge next to you. There were signs posted warning hikers of possible falling rocks. When I googled the trail at home, I discovered why:
A large slide last summer drastically changed the waterfall. (Pics from the USDA Web site)

Before:
After: I thought it was a gorgeous trail with a great payoff. Check it out next time you're near Lincoln City :)

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