Abiqua Falls Trail [CLOSED] is a 5.3 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Scotts Mills, Oregon that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
LONG-TERM CLOSURE: As of March 2021 this area is closed due to fire damage. For more information, please visit: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/Pages/santiam-state-forest.aspx Abiqua Falls Trail takes you to the beautiful waterfall Abiqua Falls within the Santiam State Forest. A good portion of this trail is along Abiquia Creek and along the rocks. This is a remote area so please remember to leave no trace. If you have a high clearance vehicle you can drive the gravel road and park at a turnout located just past the sign/unofficial trailhead, located by the locked gate or in small nooks along the single lane dirt road. You can also park before the dirt road and walk to the trailhead. The trail is to the left just before the first gate and is clearly visible. There will be a big black and white sign explaining that this is private land and to play it safe. Shortly after the big sign, the trail will seem to split. One path has a fallen tree crossing the trail, the other path to your right is well-traveled. Stay to your left and walk over the fallen tree. Shortly after you cross over the log you will see an identical black and white sign. You’ll see a long knotted rope anchored to the base of a small three. This is the trail you want to take. Further down the trail you’ll get to a point where two large trees have fallen down the parallel to one another, leading straight down to the river’s edge. There is a rope which leads down the entire length of these logs. This is the easiest way down to the valley floor. There are no bathrooms.
April 17, 2021Sooo unbelievably beautiful! Definitely need a higher clearance vehicle if you want to drive all the way down the gravel road. My 4Runner did great handling all the massive potholes. Trail has ropes to assist you up and down. 10/10!
April 2, 202104/01/2021 Road Closed. 2hr drive. Drove up and they had work trucks and a tractor working where the pavement meets the dirt road. No Pass No Hike For Us. There is a sign as-well.
March 28, 2021Magical
March 28, 2021When you navigate to the pin from this page, it takes you to the turn off to the dirt road that leads to the trailhead. If you have a truck or jeep or any high clearance car, you can drive either all the way down that road or part way to shorten the hike. We drove our Tacoma all the way to the trailhead (which is at the end of the road) and that made the hike probably 1 mile total out and back. It’s really steep of course but surprisingly not really muddy.
March 14, 2021A majority of the trail is walking a logging road. The last mile is an actual trail. So that was kind of a bummer, dropped it down a star because of that. But the river and falls itself were absolutely stunning! Easily the best waterfall I have experienced in the NW.
March 13, 2021March 13, 2021March 5, 2021Steep and there is rope already there to help overall Fairly easy trail , No signs or guidance so make sure to bring a map. Says it’s closed but there is no gates or signs that I saw..
March 4, 2021I went 3-3-21. I can't say for certain it's officially open, but I can say there were no obvious signs indicating the area was closed due to wildfires. Nothing was blocked off. There were no signs at the turnoff from the main road down to where the trail is and I didn't see any signs at the actual trail entrance. Full disclosure, there was one sign though right when the main road turns into a dirt road stating the area was closed due to wildfire damage. That sign was a little bit off the road and I assume it meant for that section of land which had a gated path/road nearby. I was pretty stoned so I was paranoid, but proceeded with caution and saw no further signage leading up to the trail. I was glad I went since this area is so beautiful! I parked halfway down the road to the trail entrance since the road is really rough. I was happy to see no fire damage around the Abiqua Falls area. The falls were raging and glorious as ever. I only saw one other human on my entire adventure which was excellent. There were four other cars there. The way down to the falls was a piece of cake, but getting back up is the challenge. Overall it's a great hike and I loved how desolate it was.
March 3, 2021Has anyone been able to check on this trail recently? I would love to hike it in a few weeks.
February 7, 2021Is this place opened??? Anyone? Has anyone gone???
January 30, 2021Hiked it last year before the fires...worth the hard work for that beautiful view! Trail does get washed out when it down pours.
January 21, 2021Is it open as of January 2021? I plan to go this weekend! Has anyone gone in the recent past to this beautiful place?
January 2, 2021I went before the fires, so I cannot speak to the condition of the trail post fire. Be prepared for a bit of a walk on gravel (not very shaded) depending on how far up you park (I recommend parking further up where the gravel road is still wider and walking, it’s much easier than trying to turn around where the road is narrow by the trail head. Once you’re at the actual trailhead, it’s not bad. It is muddy depending on recent rains, and there is a section where you need to utilize a rope to lower yourself down and climb back up. Highly recommend tennis shoes at the very least, but hiking shoes recommended. I suppose the trail would be fine for dogs, but may have to carry them down the rope part. Good potion of the trail you are walking along the creek if not on the rocks, so rain may affect how washed out this portion of the trail is. The actual fall is amazing. Absolutely breathtaking. It makes any troubles on the trail worth it. I highly recommend this trail to anyone, for regular hikers this is definitely more of a casual hike.
December 16, 2020There’s a few things wrong about the directions and description. For one they do allow dogs I’ve been going here for years and have took my dogs here many times just be mindful and clean up your dogs poop, and none of the rangers told me anything. Two the trail is not on the left it’s on the right and there are two possible ways to get down once you’ve parked there is a difficult trail which is in the right and an easy trail which is on the left.
December 15, 2020Is this place closed ????
December 6, 2020November 19, 2020yep it's closed, good hike but got pulled over after. so best to wait till it's open again.
November 11, 202011.11.20 Great hike! The falls are gushing. The trail itself is fun. Some light scaling down the hillside with rope assistance. Mostly rocks along the creek. I would recommend not starting where All Trails indicates. Drive in along the road as far as your vehicle allows (potholes). If you have 4WD you’ll be able to drive to the parking lot.
November 2, 2020The trail is hard to find. Took 3 attempts to get there. Got stuck and had to get a tow one time. It is amazing, I loved the hike. This is definitely a must see.
October 24, 2020Felt like you’re in the Jungle (Tarzan Vibe) but’s it’s straight gorgeous. If you don’t read the map well, you can easily get lost and off trail.
October 23, 2020
