Dry Creek Falls
- tmschales
- May 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 6
Pacific Crest Trail
Cascade Locks, Oregon
Parking Pass Needed: None! There’s a brand new parking lot
Date of Visit: 5/1/2025
Distance: ~4.5 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: 1000ft
Potential Concerns: downed trees, rocky/root uneven ground, typical of area trails
Trailhead Amenities: Toilet & Garbage- Sign posted not yet open for the season Update 6/6/2025: Bathrooms are still closed, plan accordingly
FLOWING!
Blooms: Trillium, Fairybells, Pacific Bleeding heart, Candy flower, Fringecups, Dogwood, Oregon Grape, Wild Geranium,Vanilla Leaf, Herb robert, Stream violet,Serviceberry, and Oregon Anemone
This is a nice little jaunt along the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), starting at the new-ish Cascade Locks Trailhead. The trail is in great shape!
You’ll be mostly in the forest on a clear pathway between tons of beautiful swordferns; look closely- there are a lot of small wildflowers out there. I didn’t note any concerns this trip, the trail is in great shape. There are a few steep drop offs & a few downed trees.
The downed trees crossing the trail were all manageable for me (take your time, pass your pack over before you go over if you need to).
PRO TIP: Take your pack off if you need to; transfer it across to the other side & then transfer yourself if you feel like the weight of it is impairing your flexibility or throwing you off balance. If you use this method just be sure you can place your pack on the other side without it rolling downhill.
*If this is your first time on this hike:
The start of the trail can be confusing since both the Gorge 400 trail and PCT are near by; the trail starts NE of the parking lot/ on the opposite side of Harvey Rd. from the parking area- you’ll see a sign post there but it can be hidden by foilage if you don’t know where to look.
It’s a well signed & straight forward trail, but there are a few areas that could be confusing. Both times you’ll turn right- once at a 3 way intersection and then again at a 4 way (the bridge will be in front of you, the path to the falls is to the right and looks like an uphill gravel highway, very wide!)
While you’re here, check out Buddy’s Arcade and our 2 local breweries and several local restaurants!
Get out there and enjoy our beautiful waterfalls.
I hope you find this helpful, and if you do please consider donating toward my goal of removing financial barriers and providing complete head-toe gear, permitting, and guiding for humans that would otherwise not be able to enjoy our outdoor areas.
Even $1 helps us reach this goal!
Happy Trails,
Trish
Welcome!
I've started these reports because the loss of funding and staffing for USFS and other agencies in Oregon & the Pacific Northwest will result in reduction of trail maintenance, and I am concerned for public safety with poor trail conditions. This is my "What can I do to help people stay safe?" solution.
These reports are a tool to use in conjunction with maps, weather forecasts, and wildfire maps- they are not all inclusive and please note that trail conditions are apt to change rapidly (And I cannot be liable for conditions that have changed after my visits).
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