Lower Parker Falls

Exit Interstate 5 at Cottage Grove (Exit 174) and drive east on Row River Road for approximately 19 1/2 miles to signed Brice Creek Road # 22. Follow Brice Creek Road for 10.8 miles to the fourth bridge across Brice Creek, where the trailhead is marked. Parking is provided on the right. Follow the moderately steep trail for ½ mile, staying left at the first junction, then right at the second where the Lower Falls are marked with a sign. The trail ends in another 300 feet at the bottom of the falls.Parker Creek sports a whole series of waterfalls that have randomly been lumped into two groupings. The Lower falls are fairly well isolated and defined, though the whole series of waterfalls along Parker Creek could easily be considered one continuous waterfall -branding it as, for example, Parker Cascades would make better sense than Parker Falls. Here, the creek splits in two and plunges about 30 feet over a wall, with another 10 foot fall a short distance downstream, and another 10 footer just upstream of the main drop as well. The falls weren't well known or easily accessible until about 10 years ago when the trail system in the Brice Creek drainage got a major overhaul. The forest service now maintains a nice trail to the falls, making it accessible all year long. I imagine this would be a fairly impressive waterfall in the winter, but I have yet to see photographs to back up this idea.