|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 1.00 Miles |
|
| | Hiking | 1.00 Miles | | | |
| | | |
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | FALLS DAY: Day 9 of 10 day road trip. Second falls: At the trailhead, the wooden 12 foot diameter Toketee Pipeline is passed, which diverts much of the volume of the North Umpqua River to a powerhouse downstream. Of course, coming upon it you are instantly intrigued. This artificial taming of the river allows the waterfall to flow in an extremely consistent manner all year long. This big pipe resting along the road to the trailhead is part of the North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project. It typically sprouts a few leaks as the wood contracts and expands; in fact enough of a leak to get a good car wash which I did on the way out. I put it on video of course.
The trail passes through an old-growth stand of Douglas-fir, Western red cedar, big leaf maple, and Pacific yew along the North Umpqua River with limited views of cascading water through a narrow rock gorge from old lava flow. It's hard to believe that's a whole river squeezing through here  . The trail has 200 steps leading to a sturdy deck overlooking the two-tiered falls. These intermittent steps go up and down both ways with a path between. The North Umpqua River has carved a sinuous gorge out of the lava flow, resulting in a waterfall of 113 feet in height carved from ancient columnar basalt: - a 28 foot upper tier which plunges into a pool flanked by a deep alcove, followed by an 85 foot plunge over a sheer wall of volacnic basalt into a large pool. In the Chinook language, the word "Toketee" means "pretty", or "graceful".
The view from the platform is nice but I don't feel like you get all of the Falls in the photos because of the angle. We stayed here for a short bit before heading up the steps for our up and down hike back to the car. There were quite a few people out but once again, I can only imagine how much worse it would be during the season once school is out. It's really a neat forest to walk through and such a kick to see the Pipeline with its leaks as we walk back to the car. As the vehicles were coming and going, some would linger at the car wash spot so I got some pics and video.
I read that: Previously the full volume of the North Umpqua River was allowed to flow over the falls, but the flow has been reduced by a penstock that utilizes the drop of the falls to generate hydroelectricity.
Videos:
Part 1 https://youtu.be/wi ... VXMs
Part 2 https://youtu.be/6P ... snkI |
| _____________________
For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
