Appeal Tribune
| WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2022 | 1B
OUTDOORS
Moon Falls in Umpqua National Forest. ZACH URNESS / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Spirit, Moon and Pinard:
Trinity of stunning waterfalls
Zach Urness | Salem Statesman Journal
T
here’s a trio of waterfalls just outside Cottage Grove that are the definition of short and sweet. h Tucked away beyond
Dorena Lake — and just over an hour’s drive from Eugene — the three cascades roar in mossy forest and make a great
adventure with younger children. h Spirit, Moon and Pinard falls are all stunners and unique in their own way, ranging from
a powerful 40-feet blast-hose to a majestic 100-footer that fans out down a cliff face.h While the waterfalls are different, the
hikes are almost all the same. They begin a handful of miles apart off rough Forest Service roads, drop through young and old-growth
forest, and return in about 1 mile round-trip.
The experience of visiting them feels a little
bit like a mini-road trip. You drive to one trail-
head, hike to the waterfall, hop back in the car,
and continue to the next one, and the next one.
Before you know it, the day disappears in the
mist, mud and moss.
I’m not kidding about the mud. These are
some of the muddiest trails I’ve ever hiked,
which is saying something, and both a good and
bad thing if you’re hiking with kiddos. Luckily,
you can wash them off with a swim at Dorena
Lake on the way home.
Here’s a breakdown of each hike and cascade.
For exact directions, see the bottom of the story.
Waterfall #1: Spirit Falls
Due to one of the roads being closed, the
drive between the waterfall hikes is a bit longer
than it would be otherwise, but the detour route
is well-marked and it makes for a small-scale
adventure worth doing if you’re an Oregon wa-
terfall lover.
The shortest and most powerful of the group,
Spirit Falls, is the first trailhead you reach from
Cottage Grove and the obvious place to begin
the adventure.
From the end of paved Laying Creek Road 17,
you reach a sign pointing right onto a gravel
pullout for the trailhead.
This trail was built by a Boy Scout troop in
the 1980s. The troop actually named the falls “to
honor the spirit of scouting,” according to Ore-
gon Geographic Names.
The pathway is straightforward, dropping
slightly downhill through the mud to a nice little
picnic table with a view of the 40-foot falls that
blasts into an amphitheater of stone. There’s
room to play around at the base if the water isn’t
too high (on our visit the water was roaring).
Head back up and you’re done with waterfall
number one.
Waterfall #2: Moon Falls
Normally, you’d have a choice to make next.
When all the roads are open, both Moon and Pi-
nard falls are about a 3-mile drive from Spirit
Falls Trailhead down different roads.
But currently, a stretch of Forest Road 1790 is
closed (it's expected to reopen in a month or
two). That means taking a detour that brings
See WATERFALLS, Page 2B
A work vacation on the trail
Lisa Britton
Baker City Herald
An opportunity to fix up trails in Eastern Oregon and be
pampered back at camp is coming up later this month
thanks to a partnership between Go Wild: American Ad-
ventures and the Wallowa Mountain Hells Canyon Trail
Association.
The “all-inclusive trail work vacation” is set for June 17-
19 on the Western Rim Trail above Hells Canyon.
“It’s one of the early season options — and a trail that
needs work,” said Dan Sizer, who owns Go Wild.
The trail is also part of the Blue Mountain Trail, a 530-
mile route in Eastern Oregon.
Sizer said the idea for this trip came from a conversation
about “regenerative tourism.”
“It’s a give-back mindset to tourism,” Sizer said.
It is the first such trip Go Wild has offered.
“This is our pilot program,” he said.
The cost is $450, which includes gear, meals, transpor-
tation, live music, and pre- and post-parties.
“You’ll show up with a tent set up, a cot, a pad on your
cot, and a cocktail waiting for you,” he said.
The only specific supplies to bring are boots, good work
gloves, and lunch snacks.
The camping experience, Sizer said, could be described
as “glamping” — glamorous camping.
“The cooking will be a highlight — that’s what Go Wild is
known for,” he said. “We’re taking the modern culinary
craft movement to the backcountry.”
The group will leave Baker City at 8 a.m. Friday, June 17.
This day includes trail work in the afternoon, then cocktail
hour and a campfire dinner.
The main work day is Saturday, June 18. Sizer said
maintenance will include cutting small trees out of the trail,
trimming back bushes and clearing rocks.
“The point is to get folks out and have a good time,” Sizer
said. “We can find something for anyone to do.”
And it’s OK to enjoy the view.
“Take breaks, enjoy the scenery, have fun doing trail
work,” he said.
Sunday, June 19, includes breakfast, cleaning up
camp, and an after-party.
For more information, or to register, go to www.go-
wildusa.com/volunteervacations.
Trail work
The trail work will be facilitated by members of the
Wallowa Mountain Hells Canyon Trail Association,
which started in 2017.
“Our mission is to help the Forest Service maintain
the trails,” said Mike Hansen, executive director.
The association works with the Forest Service to
identify “deferred maintenance trails.”
“Those are the ones they haven’t gotten to in three
years or more,” Hansen said.
So far, he said the group has worked on about eight
projects since March in the Hells Canyon area.
The Go Wild excursion will continue work they’ve al-
ready started.
“Any help his group can give us is really welcome,”
Hansen said.
He said the association has members from Wal-
lowa, Union and Baker counties. Membership is $20
per person, $30 per family, or $10 for students.
Some projects take just a day, and may include a
yearly check on a familiar trail.
“Some members have a favorite trail they do every
year,” he said.
Multiple days are required to access the backcountry.
“It takes a day of hiking for some of them,” Hansen said.
To learn more about the association, visit the website at
www.wmhcta.org.