Thursday, February 5, 2015

Stafford Falls Wilson river off trail hike.

After a couple of tries to get to this falls I was determined to make it this time. The last 2 times I ran out of time as it was not the objective of the day and I tried to cram it in on the end of a long day. Stafford falls is on a side creek from the Wilson river but can be seen from the road in winter. The falls is very obstructed due to trees and the creek drainage so a close up view is best. If it is warm outside it would be easy to just wade across the Wilson river and then hike up the drainage to the falls but it was way to cold for that on this trip. Before I get to far into the details though my first stop was Fern rock falls right off the side of the road. I have been travailing to the beach my whole life and never stopped to photograph this falls.
Fern Rock Falls
Side View Fern Rock Falls
I really enjoyed this waterfall. The falls has multiple little drops and the added old logs across above the falls has a nice look to it. After this quick stop I went on to Bridge Creek Falls for a second quick stop to take more photos. There is a little short hike to this one and a second falls can be seen if you hike to the bridge below the road.
Bridge Creek Falls
There is also a nice kick out that the water does on the upper tier of the falls.
Bridge Creek Falls
Lower Bridge Creek Falls
Now that the warm-ups were done it was time for the main event. I parked on Larch Mountain Road just on the other side of the bridge that crosses the Wilson river. Following game trails for about 1/2 miles brought me to the falls. It is important to remember to stay high after the first drainage crossing our cliffs will stop your progress up the river.
The game trail to the falls.
Once I turned the corner I was presented with a great view of the falls. Great in the winter but would not be so good any of the rest of the year. So to get the better view I crossed the creek and maid my way up the hillside.
Stafford Falls Oregon
The lower tier is about 35 feet tall and the upper tier is about 70 feet tall. There is a trail that comes in from the left side of the falls and gives access to the middle of the falls.
My brother in the middle of the falls.
Stafford Falls Lower Section.
My friends in the middle of the falls.
After some time we hiked back out the drainage to the Wilson river and right ac across the stream was this view.
Nice little 15 foot cascade.
Getting back out to the car was quick and painless after witch we had a nice burger at McMenamins. As it turns out a supper fun day with friends. I was very surprised at how much better this falls was than I thought it would be.