Toketee Falls is the most well-known waterfall in the Idleyld Park area of the Umpqua National Forest. Before we left on our camping trip I watched a YouTube video about the falls and nearby Umpqua Hot Springs. The creator of the video said that you could climb down to the base of the falls and walk around the corner to the hot springs. Well…that information was not exactly accurate.
The trailhead started in a parking lot with picnic tables, restrooms, and some nice signage. There was a very large rusted pipe along the edge of the parking lot, spraying water all over the place. It looked like something straight out of a science fiction movie. A sign explains that it is part of a hydroelectric project, but I have my suspicions!
The trail to Toketee Falls is a lovely wooded path along the north Umpqua River. The old growth forest offers shade and although there are over 200 steps, you are not facing a wall of stairs. There are flights that go up, interspersed with some that go down. The ups and downs vary along the 1/2 mile (one way) hike.
The first really amazing thing we saw was what is called a “pothole.” This is an area where silt and rocks swirl around so vigorously that they wear away the bedrock. The exceptional thing about this pothole is that it’s shaped like a heart! It wasn’t possible to get a perfect picture of the heart from the path, so we tried climbing down to the edge a couple of different ways to get that perfect picture. I think it was worth it! (I’ve posted a short video clip at the end)
After the pothole the stairs began. We got pretty warm, but they were even and well-maintained and the scenery was a great distraction!
The trail ends at a viewing platform where you can see the 113 foot, two-tiered waterfall. It has carved it’s way through the volcanic basalt rock, creating its own regal-looking columns on either side. It is not very close but it Is picturesque. I could see where people used to go through the fence and use a rope to get down to the base. The rope is gone and the fence has been reinforced and padlocked to keep people from going down. The path, if you can call it that, is very steep and treacherous looking.
After we had surveyed the waterfall from every possible angle and taken dozens of photos we headed back. The return hike seemed shorter than the hike there. I actually wished it was a little longer. But is was a fun excursion on what had started out as a rainy day and I would recommend stopping there if you are in the area.
For more information about Toketee Falls you can visit the U.S Forest Service website, or the Northwest Waterfall Survey site.
Previous Post – Backwoods Waterfalls
I love the colors and sounds of this place! That mysterious-looking pipe does indeed look very mysterious 😀 I don’t buy their oh-so-mundane explanation too. That “hydroelectric” project sounds like a proper conspiracy theory if I ever read about one! I think this is a cover for their mega secret limoncello production facility. You know, the one they covertly built under Lemolo Falls. They can’t fool us!
I thought that pipe belonged in one of your amazing Starshatter books! Perhaps you can write it into one of your Patreon stories 😉
This is a great idea :3
That’s beautiful! And a short hike, so one I could actually admire. 😀
You would love it! So pretty!
The Toketee falls look very rustic yet active. What a dear heart water feature with the whirlpool. Be careful climbing down those steep paths, but I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Alice! Awesome share. Btw, you should definitely consider cross-posting this to Medium and then linking it here. You could monetize, as well as build traffic. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks Jon! Lots of questions! Are you on the Minds chat?
Such beauty our mother nature provides! Being part of Cascadia, it would remain an active ever changing place..Love the heart shaped pothole lol! Was here any camping allowed near here Alice?
A great blog, Thank you 🙂
Thanks! Tokatee Falls has it’s own campground and was just 12 minutes from the one we stayed at. It’s right off highway 138, very close to all of those campgrounds with waterfalls I wrote about. Diamond Lake resort is about 20 minutes away,and a little over half an hour from the north entrance to Crater Lake. It’s an amazing area!