1.2 hr
Overview
Two one hundred foot waterfalls tumble off of a high rim in the western marches of the Siuslaw National Forest. It's a winding time-consuming drive to reach the trailhead - it's best accessed via Sheridan if you're coming from the Portland area. There aren't any other trails in the area, so this will be an outing where the drive time exceeds the time on the trail. The hike in is short but all downhill, meaning a switchbacking rise on the way back. The two waterfalls are different and, until recently, have usually been confused with one another - and neither waterfall looks anything like the Niagara Falls. The first waterfall you'll see is the single drop on Pheasant Creek that plunges straight down into an amphitheater: according to the Northwest Waterfall Survey , this is Pheasant Creek Falls . You'll round a corner and pass right below splashing Niagara Falls before you can get to Pheasant Creek Falls , the more attractive of the two. Why was there confusion for so long? There is a Niagara Creek nearby (Pheasant Creek is a tributary), but it's a mile west in the next drainage. Niagara Falls flows off the steep slopes of 1,724-foot Niagara Point, however, after which it was originally named. Visitors, confused because neither waterfall is marked on topographical maps, assumed the stronger single plunge fall on Pheasant Creek was Niagara and the misnomer has been perpetuated, including in most references on the internet, in hiking guidebooks, and on the Forest Service web page. Winter and spring are the best months to come here as the water flow is much reduced in the summer and fall.
Trail Stats
3.2 km
139 m
418 m
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Photos
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Trail photo
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