Fall Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River)

Fall Creek
Fall Creek in the Cascade Range foothills
Country United States
State Oregon
County Lane
Source Cascade Range
 - location near Sardine Butte, Willamette National Forest
 - elevation 3,782 ft (1,153 m) [1]
 - coordinates 43°59′22″N 122°19′21″W / 43.98944°N 122.32250°W / 43.98944; -122.32250 [2]
Mouth Middle Fork Willamette River
 - location near Jasper
 - elevation 561 ft (171 m) [2]
 - coordinates 43°58′14″N 122°52′10″W / 43.97056°N 122.86944°W / 43.97056; -122.86944Coordinates: 43°58′14″N 122°52′10″W / 43.97056°N 122.86944°W / 43.97056; -122.86944 [2]
Length 34 mi (55 km) [3]
Location of the mouth of Fall Creek in Oregon

Fall Creek is a 34-mile (55 km) tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River in Lane County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning in the Cascade Range, the creek flows generally west through the Willamette National Forest to enter the Middle Fork upstream of Jasper, southeast of Springfield and Eugene.[3]

Along its upper and middle reaches, the creek flows by many campgrounds, picnic sites, a state park, and the Fall Creek National National Recreation Trail. Below Fall Creek Lake, impounded by Fall Creek Dam, the small communities of Unity and Fall Creek lie along the lower reaches. Two covered bridges carry rural roads over the creek, one at Unity and the other further downstream.[3]

Tributaries

Named tributaries of Fall Creek from source to mouth are Buzzard, Briem, Saturn, Delp, and Ninemile creeks. Then come Gold, Pacific, Tiller, Marine, Hehe, Small, and Gibraltar creeks. Further downstream are Alder, Puma, Jones, Portland, and Andy creeks.[3]

Then come Bedrock, Slick, Timber, Boundary, and Little Gold Creek. North Fork Fall Creek is next, after which Winberry Creek enters at Fall Creek Lake. Little Fall Creek enters the main stem in the lower reaches below the lake.[3]

Covered bridges

Unity Bridge at Unity carries Unity–Lowell Road over Fall Creek.[4] The bridge is about 1 mile (1.6 km) below Fall Creek Lake and about 6 miles (10 km) by water from the mouth of the creek.[3] Unity Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[5]

Further downstream, Pengra Bridge carries Place Road over the creek along its lower reaches. The 120-foot (37 m) Howe truss structure, built in 1938,[6] was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[7]

Recreation

Hiking and camping

Fall Creek National Recreation Trail runs 13.7 miles (22.0 km) along the creek between the Dolly Varden Campground and a trailhead near Tiller Creek. Access to the generally level hiking trail is via five trailheads at different points along the route. Log footbridges span the side streams of the trail, which connects to other trails, among them Clark Butte, Cowhorn Mountain, Gold Point, and Jones.[8]

Campgrounds are found at intervals along the Fall Creek National Recreation Trail and Forest Road 18. These include Dolly Varden,[9] Big Pool,[10] Broken Bowl,[11] Bedrock,[12] and Puma.[13] Clark Creek Organization Camp, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, has sites for group camping.[14]

State park

Fall Creek State Recreation Site, a state park at Fall Creek Lake, has a variety of campgrounds and day-use areas, each with amenities that vary from site to site. These include boat launches, swimming areas, picnic areas, toilets, and parking. The 167-acre (68 ha) park is open from May through September.[15]

Fishing

Fishing in Oregon describes the creek as "beautiful" as well as popular with anglers in pursuit of finclipped Chinook salmon, stocked rainbow trout, and wild cutthroat trout. Above Fall Creek Lake, the creek is heavily stocked with rainbow trout as far upstream as Gold Creek. Salmon, steelhead (sea-going rainbow trout), and salmon also frequent the creek downstream of the dam impounding the lake. The lake itself supports populations of largemouth bass, crappie, bluegills, and a few trout.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fall Creek". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 11, 2016 – via Acme Mapper. The map includes mile markers along the creek to the 30.9-mile (49.7 km) point. The remainder is an estimate based on map scale and ruler.
  4. ↑ "Fall Creek (Unity) Covered Bridge" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Unity Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Fall Creek (Pengra) Covered Bridge" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Thematic Group Nomination: Oregon Covered Bridges" (PDF). National Park Service. 1979. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Fall Creek National Recreation Trail #3455". United States Forest Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Dolly Varden Campground". United States Forest Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Big Pool Campground". United States Forest Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Broken Bowl Campground". United States Forest Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Bedrock Campground". United States Forest Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Puma Campground". United States Forest Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Clark Creek Organization Camp". United States Forest Service. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Fall Creek State Recreation Site". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  16. ↑ Sheehan, Madelynne Diness (2005). Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide (10th ed.). Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. p. 135. ISBN 0-916473-15-5.
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