Butte Creek Falls Loop Hike
From Portland Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Butte Creek Falls Trailhead
- End point: Butte Creek Falls
- Trail Log: Trail Log
- Hike Type: Loop
- Distance: 1.1 miles
- Elevation gain: 320 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: Year round
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Hike Description
A little over an hour's drive from Portland, this short hike will take you to two beautiful waterfalls in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.
From the trailhead, take the right hand trail that starts down near the restrooms. The wide, well maintained trail drops fairly steeply for 100 yards or so, then levels out. You'll come to an unmarked trail junction in about 0.2 miles. Turn right and head down to Upper Butte Creek Falls. Here the water has carved a cavern beneath the lava and it's usually possible to walk behind the waterfall. In the late summer, the flow separates into several small streams, as shown in the picture here. In the winter, the flow is a solid sheet of water.
Return to the trail junction and continue on the loop trail. In just a few feet, you'll come to another junction. Turn right and once again head downhill. This trail ends on a high rock bluff overlooking Butte Creek Falls. Keep an eye on little ones here. There's plenty of room to safely amble about, but a fall from the cliffs could be fatal. This is a great place for a picnic or just a relaxing session staring at the waterfall. There's a rough use path from here to the base of the waterfall, but it can quite dangerous and it's not recommended.
Return to the loop trail and once again turn right. It's a short walk up a surprisingly easy slope to your car through a beautiful forest of vine maples and douglas firs.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
Regulations or Restrictions, etc.
- None
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Butte Creek Falls
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Butte Creek Falls
Guidebooks that cover this hike
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Contributors
- stevefromdodge (creator)
- pyles_94(Extra Picture)