Elk Creek Falls

Elk Creek Falls is found just off the Rogue-Coquille Scenic Byway south of the town of Powers. Starting in the city of Coos Bay, follow Highway 101 south to Highway 42 and head east for 21 miles through the town of Myrtle Point, then turn south onto the Powers Highway (route 542) after crossing the Middle Fork Coquille River (the sign points to Powers); the Powers highway becomes the Rogue-Coquille Scenic Byway (NFR-33) after passing through the town. Continue 24.5 from the turn off at Highway 42 (or 6.5 miles from Powers) to the bridge over Elk Creek, and park in the large pull off on the left side of the road where a sign board marks the trail. The easy trail leads to a viewpoint with a picnic table overlooking the falls in under 5 minutes.Elk Creek Falls is the final of perhaps as many as a dozen significant waterfalls located within the small Elk Creek basin, just above the South Fork Coquille River, but is the only waterfall among those with easy or developed access of any kind. The falls consist of four distinct tiers in a narrow, twisting canyon. Due to the constricted canyon and the thick forest growth lining the creek, we don't believe we were able to measure the entire waterfall; our measurement came out to be 191 feet, but we suspect this accounts only for three of the four tiers. Part of the second tier of the falls can be seen from the viewpoint at the base of the falls when the surrounding trees are bare, but it is otherwise quite obstructed. The third tier is blocked from view by the shape of the canyon. For the same reasons, only the final 83-foot tall tier of the falls is clearly visible from the end of the short, easy trail used to access the falls. This drop follows a narrow crevice in the cliff and shoots away from the viewpoint for about one-third of the fall. However, during periods of high flow the volume of the creek overwhelms the narrow crack and the stream spreads out broadly over the cliff and becomes both much wider and more visible (see our pictures comparing the winter and late spring flows). Just downstream from the main falls, a pair of ephemeral waterfalls can also be seen streaming into the Coquille River canyon - one a direct tributary of Elk Creek, and the other along the road just north of the Elk Creek bridge. Additionally, just downstream of the viewpoint for the falls, the trail intersects the Big Tree Trail, which leads moderately steeply up hill to a stand of old-growth trees, among which can be found the world's largest living Port Orford Cedar tree - 12 feet in diameter and 230 feet tall.