Pheasant Creek Falls and Niagara Falls

Siuslaw National Forest / Beaver, Oregon, USA

About Pheasant Creek Falls and Niagara Falls

For Subscribers Only. See Membership Options.

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Pheasant Creek Falls and Niagara Falls were two waterfalls across from each other at the head of a gorge carved out by a combination of Pheasant Creek and Niagara Creek.

The size of each waterfall in this pairing (107ft and 112ft, respectively) actually surprised me, because it turned out that Niagara Falls was concealed from view until the trail made a bend around a protrusion.

Niagara_and_Pheasant_Creek_Falls_043_04082021 - Niagara Falls or Niagara Creek Falls seen against the rising morning sun
Niagara Falls or Niagara Creek Falls seen against the rising morning sun

According to Greg Plumb’s book, he said that Niagara Creek’s flow would tend to diminish as the rainfall amounts would decrease over the summer.

In any case, this hike deep in the coastal range set back from the Oregon Coast near the small town of Beaver in the Siuslaw National Forest was an exercise in peace and tranquility thanks to its relative obscurity.

Although I found the hike to be pretty straightforward, the narrow unpaved road to get to the trailhead was flanked with fallen trees (luckily none of them caused any roadblocks).

This gave me the sense that I really was in a remote wilderness.

Niagara_and_Pheasant_Creek_Falls_062_04082021 - Pheasant Creek Falls plunging towards the end of the Niagara Falls Trail
Pheasant Creek Falls plunging towards the end of the Niagara Falls Trail

Despite that, the trail to access these waterfalls were a mere 1.2 miles in each direction (according to my GPS logs).

My data seemed to agree with the trailhead signage, because it said that Niagara Falls (the first waterfall) was just one mile from there.

Hiking The Niagara Falls Trail

From the outset, the trail gently descended among a very lush trail full of ferns and tall trees with moss growing on them.

The trail would continue to descend among this scenery while traversing the odd muddy patches, especially since this area can get a lot of rain.

Niagara_and_Pheasant_Creek_Falls_012_04082021 - On the lush Niagara Falls Trail as it descended to two waterfalls
On the lush Niagara Falls Trail as it descended to two waterfalls

After about 3/4-mile, the trail traversed a bridge over a small, seasonal cascade (that’s hard to see in the overgrowth).

Beyond that, the trail then descended towards another bend as the scenery started to open up as the path started to skirt eastward above Pheasant Creek.

It was at this point that I finally started to see Pheasant Creek Falls in the distance (which I at first thought was Niagara Falls).

As this hastened my steps to get closer to that waterfall, the trail then rounded a bend, and that was when I was surprised to see another waterfall, which turned out to be Niagara Falls (or Niagara Creek Falls).

Niagara_and_Pheasant_Creek_Falls_028_04082021 - This is where the Niagara Falls Trail went over a bridge traversing a hard-to-see cascade at around the 3/4-mile point of the descent
This is where the Niagara Falls Trail went over a bridge traversing a hard-to-see cascade at around the 3/4-mile point of the descent

Crossing the footbridge at the waterfall’s base, the trail then made a short 0.2-mile jaunt to the official end of the trail before the Pheasant Creek Falls where there was a picnic table.

There was also a couple of unsanctioned use-trails to get closer to the waterfall – one going down to Pheasant Creek and another going up to a precarious and slippery knob.

As much as I wanted to photograph both waterfalls together, they were too far apart to do that from any point along the trail.

So I pretty much had to experience each waterfall one-at-a-time.

Niagara_and_Pheasant_Creek_Falls_036_04082021 - The final approach to Pheasant Creek Falls when I was unaware that there was another waterfall just around the corner to the left
The final approach to Pheasant Creek Falls when I was unaware that there was another waterfall just around the corner to the left

But for all intents and purposes, this was the end of the upside-down hike so the way back was a roughly 400ft climb to regain the trailhead.

Authorities

Pheasant Creek Falls and Niagara Falls reside in the Siuslaw National Forest near Pacific City in Tillamook County, Oregon. It is administered by the National Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: beaver, siuslaw national forest, niagara falls trail, tillamook, beaver



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps

Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.