Lemolo Falls

We are interested in doing the Lemolo Falls hike.

My Moon guidebook describes it as ';a gentle one-mile path that drops down into the North Umpqua Canyon and passes several small waterfalls on the way to Lemolo Falls.';

Directions given for this hike: Take Lemolo Rd off of Route 138, then follow Forest Service Roads 2610 and 2610-100 and look for the trailhead sign.

Did some research online and found descriptions of two different trail to falls. One is listed at .25 in length and goes to the base of the falls for the best view. It is described as very steep and difficult. The other option is described as having a limited topside view of the falls. This one follows the North Umpqua Trail and is 1.5 miles in length.

Has anyone done either of these hikes to Lemolo Falls? Is there a third, less well-known hike to Lemolo Falls that my Moon guidebook is describing? Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks for any help.

Lemolo Falls

This is your second request for info on trails to waterfalls...in widely separated parts of the state. I%26#39;m not familiar with Lemolo Falls, so can%26#39;t tell you much more than you already know. However, there are hundreds of great waterfall hikes between the two you have asked about and I can give you good info and recommendation on many of them. Please tell us what your itinerary is, how much time you want to spend on your trips (and your hikes) and what you are looking for in the way of waterfalls.

Also, please tell us WHEN you are planning to visit. Some falls are inaccessible in winter (thru June) and some diminish significantly by late summer.

Lemolo Falls

Thanks for your reply, oregonpoppa.

We will be visiting the first week of June. We will be in Oregon for 10 nights. We are looping around from the Columbia Gorge to Crater Lake and up along the Oregon Coast to Waldport where we%26#39;ll hop on I-5 for our return flight. I realize it is a lot to see in a short time but I think we are up for it.

The reason I am only asking about these two hike are these are the only two I need information on. I have two guidebooks that I have been able to research my trip with: Frommers which has been accurate but lacks the detail of Moon, and Moon which has excellent detail but is riddled with errors. On the more well-known hikes I can cross-reference with the two books. And what I have found online backs up the trail descriptions given in Moon on the majority of hikes we are doing. However, I found conflicting info about Lemolo and Ramona Falls in Moon and what I found online. Some of the info online was gleaned from a U.S. Forest Service website so I would assume they know what they are talking about! But, giving Moon the benefit of the doubt, there might be more than one trail to a falls, etc. That is why I didn%26#39;t automatically assume my Moon guidebook published misinformation and wanted to inquire online.

I try to be respectful of the people who generously donate their time to answer posts and not waste your time with stuff I can research myself. I don%26#39;t want to be one of those people who write: I%26#39;m thinking about visiting Oregon what is there to see there? Ha ha.

blm.gov/or/鈥emolo_falls.html

I am guessing this is the website you found showing the hike to be a difficult one.

http://www.oregonhiking.com/

If you can, try to get hold of the hiking guide books of William L. Sullivan. These are used by most of the hiking organizations in Oregon as trusted and reliable references (especially when combined with good topo maps). He breaks the various areas of the state into separate books, each titled ';100 Hikes in...'; He hikes all the trails personally and updates each book every couple of years. Bill is a fellow Obsidian.

Yep, that%26#39;s the one. I also found another website where it was described as difficult and steep.

Thanks for the hiking trail guide recommendation. I%26#39;ll check those out.

Thank you!

Just a word here about any Forest Service roads you may be thinking of taking. I would reccommend that you stop into the local FS office and get a FS map of the district you will be in. Some of the roads are not well marked and some may be closed, it depends where you are in Oregon.

There is no cell phone service in many rural or mountainous areas.

The north entrance/exit to Crater Lake may not be open by the time you arrive. Do you have the phone number to call to check?

Do you have Golden and Silver Falls near Coos Bay on your list? (This is different from Silver Falls near Salem.)

Hi, half-Brit.

That is very good information. Thanks.

I do have the number of the Steel Information Center to call: 541-594-3000 (in case anyone reading this needs it) to check out road conditions at the north entrance. Right now I%26#39;m just assuming it will be closed and am basing my planning on that assumption.

No, I wasn%26#39;t planning on visiting Gold and Silver Falls. I noticed it on my map but it wasn%26#39;t mentioned in Moon or Frommers so I figured it must be a minor falls, or something. But I will now Google it. Thanks!

By the way, did you used to post on the A%26amp;E message boards? It seems I recall someone with the avatar ';Half-Brit'; posting there. But that was ages ago, so sorry if my memory is failing me!

Nope, this forum is my only (online!) vice, LOL.

Golden and Silver Falls is worth the trip in. They are both good sized. Silver is reachable by walking up an old, old road and there is an information sign there showing where the bridge used to be. To get to Golden you follow a footpath. Both are easy short walks.

If you want to get to the top of Golden, there is a trail that leads up. At the top, if you were to keep going north, you%26#39;d reach the end of the original road that came down the gulch - the one that crossed Silver.

Thanks, half-Brit.

I visited some websites and the falls look very nice. I was suprised to see one of the falls is quite large- I think I read it has a 100ft drop. That is a major waterfall!

I know you said you only needed info on a couple of falls, since you had it on the others you%26#39;ll be visiting...but, I can%26#39;t resist putting in plugs for a few favorites that may already be on our route:

Sahalie Falls on #126 just before the hwy merges with #20. In June this will probably be the most powerful cascade you%26#39;ll find in the state. Just an amazing spectacle...and just a few steps off the highway and the parking area.

Salt Creek Falls, near the top of Willamette Pass on #97, second only to Multnomah Falls in height and you meet it as a small stream on the top of the falls.

More toward the coast...

Sweet Creek Falls, just off the #126 at Mapleton.One of the most beautiful settings. Small falls, but continuing cascading stream (special platforms and walkways have been constructed to allow you to follow the stream right up to the falls.) Often combined in hiking with Beaver Falls, just a bit upstream.

Kentucky Falls, a little harder to get to, but also off of #126. It%26#39;s four miles down and four miles back up, but they%26#39;re not difficult miles and you get to enjoy three waterfalls...the last two from two different rivers as they plunge into a common pool and stream. This is where we usually have our lunch and enjoy the magical atmosphere at the bottom of twin waterfalls.

All waterfalls are wonderful and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll enjoy your trip.

Thanks, oregonpoppa.

Yes, we definitely plan on visiting Sahalie (and Koosah) Falls and Salt Creek Falls -with a little detour to see Waldo Lake, which my guidebook describes as one of the clearest in the world- wow!

I hadn%26#39;t planned on Sweet Creek Falls and Kentucky Falls- had not heard of them. I will have to check those out online. Thanks!

Yes, I agree with you that all waterfalls are wonderful. Florida is so flat that we don%26#39;t have any waterfalls - well there is a pitiful little stream of water that drops into a sinkhole in northwest Florida that is called a fall. Lol. So I am a waterfall fanatic. Love them!

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