Drift Creek Falls Bridge Endures Tragic Beginning

DRIFT CREEK (Lincoln Co., Ore.) — The Drift Creek Falls Bridge marks its 30th anniversary this year as one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Northwest.

Located in the heart Oregon’s Siuslaw National Forest, Drift Creek Falls Trail #1378 offers a family-friendly trek through a coastal forest, a 75-ft. waterfall and a breathtaking suspension bridge 100 feet above the canyon floor.

We recently found the 240-foot span swaddled by mist and barely swaying under light foot traffic as explorers took their time to absorb the spectacular backcountry. Some paused and wondered at the bronze plaque embedded in a giant tower at canyon’s edge that reads, “In Memory of Scott Paul…His vision of the bridge will live forever. July 25, 1998.”

According to the U.S. Forest Service, Paul was a visionary trail builder with the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Forest and construction foreman on the $225,000 Drift Creek suspension bridge project in 1993 when the excavator he was operating got entangled in rigging and was dragged into the 100-ft. chasm. Paul died at the scene.

The project, delayed for years, was finally completed in 1997 by fellow trail builder Carroll Vogel, who recalled Paul’s determined words amid the thunder of the nearby falls: “Come on you floggers, we’re gonna’ get this done!”

With its optional path, a hiker can squeeze three miles out of this awesomely-scenic scramble over old roots and rocks, or about two hours out and back. Parking, restrooms and picnic tables provide civilized amenities amid the wilderness, thanks in part to the $5 day fee.

The most adventuresome part of an outing to Drift Creek Falls Trail is getting there on famously sketchy Coast Mt. Range roads, however. From Lincoln City, take Drift Creek Rd. to Anderson Creek Rd., turn left on Forest Service 17 and drive 12 miles to the trailhead. Or, from Hwy. 18, turn south on Bear Creek County Rd. for 3.5 miles, then continue seven miles on USFS 17 to the trailhead.