Indian Creek Falls

This 2 mile out-and-back is super chill with a couple stream crossings. The waterfall is fantastic just don’t die or litter. Search and Rescue covers the first, Sasquatch enforces the latter.

Driving

– Drive No1 is a 50 minute drive. Take the North Medford exit onto Crater Lake Drive through Medford’s Large Box Store Village. Then turn right on Route 140 toawrds McLaughlin and Lake of the Woods. 10 minutes on that and turn right on Lake Creek Loop Road. You are heading towards Camp Latgawa.

Pay attention because the road become the South Fork Little Butte Creek Road. When the road becomes gravel you have about 2 more miles. The road ends at Camp Latgawa which is private however… just after you cross the bridge and before you enter the Camp Latgawa gate there is a dirt road off to your right. Take that down to about a dozen “Pull-outs” or “Dispersed Camp Areas”. Continue to the end of this area and there is a dirt roundabout which ends at a surprisingly well-maintained Forest Service trailhead sign.

-Drive No2 from Ashland is shorter but… much more tricky. About 40 minutes from Exit 14 if… you don’t miss any turns. Head toward Emmigrant Lake and left on Dead Indian Memorial Road. About 12 minutes along this, before you reach the Howard Prarie Lake right turn, you will turn left on Conde Creek Road.

Ten minutes on that , passing multiple Forest Service logging roads, and you will turn on “Owens Road” but it could be called “Chicken Butt Highway” because it has no sign and is just… slightly larger than the other logging roads. Good luck!

After passing cows and logging trucks for 30 minutes, mostly downhill, you dead end into the parking area less than 1/2 mile from the waterfall.

Parking

– Dozens of dirt spaces all along the random dirt pull-out area. However there are no facilities at all. Parking No2 has room for 8-10 cars along the roadside.

Hiking

– We are just doing the route from Drive No1. Less than 2 miles out and back. Rock-hop across the creek. Hike up above the creek for 1/2 mile until you reach the turnaround for the other parking area. Hike through that parking area and in the next 1/4 mile you drop down along the creek and if you look to the left, across the creek, you will see the Soda Springs.

Crossing the creek to the springs is a scramble down to the creek and hopping across the creek. It’s interesting, if you are into unique geological shit. Otherwise, back to the trail where we will cross the creek again by rock hopping and then scramble to the pool at the base of the waterfall.

If you want to “ride the waters” you can climb along the rock face to the left. There is a super janky rope to follow along however, it looks more tenuous that it actually is. At the top of the falls just drop in to the creek and scoot down the falls. 7-8 foot deep at the bottom of the falls. (note – always check for seasonal changes including large, submerged branches)

2 miles. Waterfall. Boom!