compactcamping
Explorer
Headed out with a few folks from the pnwadventures forum on a last minute trip to visit some waterfalls and see some history over the weekend. We were in the Willamette NF between Oakridge and Cottage Grove, OR. I did it as a day trip, while they stayed overnight for some additional exploring. On Saturday we had a couple of objective, see some waterfalls, run the Noonday wagon road and explore the old Bohemian mine / town site.
The Willamette NF just west of Oakridge has many waterfalls. This time of year some are dried up and the remainder is flowing pretty low. The two we visited were Kreuger Rock and Moon falls. The access is easy on decent gravel roads. Off hwy 58, before reaching Oakridge you take Deception creek road / 5847 up the mountain. Kreuger Rock falls is next to the road, definitely more impressive at high flows.
Moons falls is an easy 1/2 mile hike to reach, although the trail is loose in a few places. At low flows like this we were able to hike all around it. At high flow the spray soaks everything below making the rock pretty slick.
In the Spring at high flows there are 8-10 notable falls and many more interesting cascades. Most require a hike to see and some are bushwacking adventures.
Next we head over to and up Brice creek road, then Champion creek road to a nice spot on the creek of lunch
After lunch we head back down Champion creek road to the start of the Noonday day wagon road.
The Noonday wagon road was originally constructed in 1896 for hauling supplies and equipment into the Bohemia Mining District. In about 6 miles it goes from 1,900' to 4,600'. Crawling along in low-range on many long, steep, rocky sections, had me wondering how wagons made it up and down the trail. Most of the way the trail is deep in the trees, hanging on the side of a cliff. It is very narrow, making me glad for the compact size of my Sidekick. There are a few switch backs requiring two point turns, again, I can’t image doing a two point two in a wagon with a six-horse team hanging on the side of a cliff.
I can hear people thinking, wait a minute, is that a Forester? Yes it was and he made it no problem.
The views for the top are wonderful, on a clear day you have a 360 degree view.
We headed along the ridge to the base of Bohemian mountain and the old town site.
Not much still is left, the only standing building is the old store, which I believe has been rebuilt. Gold was first found in the area around the mid 1800’s, this was the richest district in the West Cascades. Here is the most detailed history I’ve come across
The Bohemia Mining District: An Historical Reconstruction
At this point I head for home, Gregg and Jason went looking for a nice place to camp. A the top looking west, the hill got lighter and lighter fading into the distance On the way home I was treated to a great sunset and the harvest moon just rising as the sun was setting. To bad both camera batteries were dead, I missed some great shots.
Reference:
http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/
The Willamette NF just west of Oakridge has many waterfalls. This time of year some are dried up and the remainder is flowing pretty low. The two we visited were Kreuger Rock and Moon falls. The access is easy on decent gravel roads. Off hwy 58, before reaching Oakridge you take Deception creek road / 5847 up the mountain. Kreuger Rock falls is next to the road, definitely more impressive at high flows.
Moons falls is an easy 1/2 mile hike to reach, although the trail is loose in a few places. At low flows like this we were able to hike all around it. At high flow the spray soaks everything below making the rock pretty slick.
In the Spring at high flows there are 8-10 notable falls and many more interesting cascades. Most require a hike to see and some are bushwacking adventures.
Next we head over to and up Brice creek road, then Champion creek road to a nice spot on the creek of lunch
After lunch we head back down Champion creek road to the start of the Noonday day wagon road.
The Noonday wagon road was originally constructed in 1896 for hauling supplies and equipment into the Bohemia Mining District. In about 6 miles it goes from 1,900' to 4,600'. Crawling along in low-range on many long, steep, rocky sections, had me wondering how wagons made it up and down the trail. Most of the way the trail is deep in the trees, hanging on the side of a cliff. It is very narrow, making me glad for the compact size of my Sidekick. There are a few switch backs requiring two point turns, again, I can’t image doing a two point two in a wagon with a six-horse team hanging on the side of a cliff.
I can hear people thinking, wait a minute, is that a Forester? Yes it was and he made it no problem.
The views for the top are wonderful, on a clear day you have a 360 degree view.
We headed along the ridge to the base of Bohemian mountain and the old town site.
Not much still is left, the only standing building is the old store, which I believe has been rebuilt. Gold was first found in the area around the mid 1800’s, this was the richest district in the West Cascades. Here is the most detailed history I’ve come across
The Bohemia Mining District: An Historical Reconstruction
At this point I head for home, Gregg and Jason went looking for a nice place to camp. A the top looking west, the hill got lighter and lighter fading into the distance On the way home I was treated to a great sunset and the harvest moon just rising as the sun was setting. To bad both camera batteries were dead, I missed some great shots.
Reference:
http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/
Thanks for sharing!
