Detailed Directions to Abiqua Falls
Confused about how to find Abiqua Falls? I was, too. Depending on the reference you consult, the hiking distance is anywhere from 0.7 to 8 miles. It’s either crowded or deserted, moderate or strenuous. It requires a monster truck to reach it or any old vehicle. The only consensus is that the waterfall is breathtaking. Let’s make things easier. I’ll break it down step by step. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Abiqua Falls.
The hike to Abiqua Falls is beautiful but challenging
Know before you go
It’s free to visit Abiqua Falls. You don’t need a pass to park.
Abiqua Falls is on private property. The owners generously allow public access. Please be respectful of the land while you’re here.
The trailhead has no restrooms or other amenities.
The trail to Abiqua Falls is rough. It’s not a good hike for kids or those new to hiking. People have fallen here.
Leashed dogs are allowed at Abiqua Falls, but I wouldn’t bring a dog due to the steep and uneven terrain.
You can visit Abiqua Falls with any type of vehicle. The hiking distance will be longer if you don’t have 4WD and high clearance.
Wear hiking boots, not sneakers.
Have an offline map with you. You won’t have reception.
Abiqua Falls gets crowded on summer weekends. Parking at the trailhead is limited and may fill up.
Seasonal tips
Abiqua Falls in January
Visiting Abiqua Falls involves a trade-off. The waterfall looks most impressive in winter and spring when it’s hardest to approach. High water levels in Abiqua Creek can flood the trail to the falls, requiring hikers to take a more difficult route. Add in a lot of mud and slippery rocks, you get the idea. By late summer, the banks of Abiqua Creek are tempting spots for wading. The waterfall will still be beautiful, but it will lack the awe-factor of rainier months.
Abiqua Falls is most popular on summer weekends. The pool beneath the falls can get crowded, which is hard for me to picture after my weekday visit in January. I saw no cars in parking areas or people on the trail. The only signs of humanity were occasional tire tracks on the muddy road to the trailhead. It was the kind of place where you could dance hike the whole way to your own a cappella rendition of 90s pop songs without fear of a witness. Not that you would. But you could.
Abiqua Falls in winter
Parking
There are three parking areas for Abiqua Falls, plus maybe a dozen odd spots next to the road at various intervals.
The Abiqua Falls Trailhead parking is reachable only with a 4WD high-clearance vehicle. I would call a Subaru Outback a maybe. The hike is 0.7 miles out and back from this lot. It’s called “Abiqua Falls Trailhead” on Google Maps. Use this All Trails map.
The Crooked Finger OHV Area is the best place to park for 2WD and low-clearance vehicles. The hike is about 4 miles out and back from here. It’s on All Trails but not Google Maps. Use this All Trails map.
A third parking area is the first you’ll pass after turning from Crooked Finger Rd NE. It’s called “Abiqua Falls Trailhead (Parking)” on Google Maps. It’s not on All Trails. No real reason to park here since any vehicle can reach parking #2. It’s about 7 miles out and back from this lot.
Here’s a visual:
Map data courtesy of Google Maps, copyright 2025. Numbered annotations are mine.
Getting there
Normally, I put driving directions at the end because your phone will get you there. Abiqua Falls is an exception. One of the parking areas isn’t on the map, and you’ll probably lose navigation on the way.
From the town of Scotts Mills, Oregon, drive south 11 miles on Crooked Finger Rd NE. Then, the pavement ends. This section of the road is full of potholes. It’s unpleasant but doable in a low-clearance vehicle. After 1.8 miles on the unpaved part, turn right onto an unnamed gravel road. It has a signboard with a lot of safety warnings. You’ll see a logging road branch off to the left. Ignore it and continue right. Just ahead is parking area #3. Continue past it. You’ll pass a couple more logging roads. Keep left.
After about a mile on the unnamed road, you’ll reach Crooked Finger OHV Area, parking area #2. It has a large gravel pile and a few smaller ones. There are no signs. Park here unless you have a 4WD high-clearance vehicle. If in doubt, don’t risk it. The extra walking distance is pleasant and not challenging. The only drawback is that it’s uphill on the way back.
Crooked Finger OHV Area
If you do have a 4WD high-clearance vehicle, continue another 1.5 miles to the final parking area. Park on the shoulder before the gate. Parking is limited and might fill up on summer weekends.
Abiqua Falls Trailhead parking
On the trail to Abiqua Falls
Distance: 0.7 miles (4WD, high clearance vehicle) or 4 miles (other vehicles), out and back
Elevation gain: 200 feet (4WD, high clearance vehicle) or 900 feet (other vehicles)
Difficulty: Moderate/hard in drier seasons, hard in wet ones.
Pass required: None
Dog friendly: Leashed dogs are allowed, but the terrain is difficult. It’s not a great hike to tackle with a dog.
ADA access: No
Season: All year. More challenging in winter and spring.
The details
Since I drive a Honda Fit, deciding where to park was easy. This car has trouble pulling into some driveways. So. We’re starting from the Crooked Finger OHV Area. Various debris litters the parking area: bullet casings, beer bottle caps, a can of bear mace, and, weirdest of all, an old Christmas tree. Best not to dwell.
Walk or drive down this road
You’ll continue on foot or by car through a lovely dense forest. The trees are mostly alder and big-leaf maple along the road and in the canyon. Higher up, they transition to mostly conifers. The undergrowth is salal and ferns.
At first, the road looks perfectly reasonable
You may feel silly for parking the car once you start walking. Just wait, the road gets worse. One of the hazards during rainy months is large puddles. They’re no trouble on foot but concerning in a car. I measured the ones below with a stick. About 6-8 inches deep.
The “road” to Abiqua Falls
You’ll continue steadily downhill, passing over little Goober Creek. After about a half mile, you’ll reach an eroded part of the road that strikes fear into the heart of every Honda Fit driver. Standing at the bottom, the top is about waist height. This obstacle is the likely worst you’ll face if you’re driving.
Steep ridge on the road to Abiqua Falls
The road makes a jog back in the other direction, crossing over the creek again.
Goober Creek
The forest becomes more interesting as you go. The trees get mossier, the undergrowth fernier. Some basalt exposed along the road hints at things to come.
Almost to the trailhead
About 1.5 miles from the Crooked Finger OHV Area, you’ll arrive at the Abiqua Falls Trailhead. If you’re on foot, it’s the first trail you’ll see. A sign gives a predictable disclaimer about entering at your own risk. If you park at the trailhead lot, you’ll need to backtrack about 100 feet. You’ll pass another trail on the way. Ignore it and take the one with the sign.
Abiqua Falls Trailhead
If you see a second sign in about 100 feet with the same warnings, you’re on the right trail.
Second disclaimer sign
Once you begin the Abiqua Falls Trail, the going gets harder. The trail begins descending steeply. A rope can help you keep your balance on the way down.
The ropes begin
After navigating the first ropes, the trail levels off for about two seconds and then leads to more ropes. You’ll see Abiqua Creek at the bottom of the canyon, which is your destination.
The ropes continue
Ropes on a hike can be polarizing. I enjoy them. I could see a saner person feeling differently. It’s steep, muddy, and slippery. You will get dirty. It isn’t especially difficult or dangerous, just tiring and slow going.
Finally done
At the bottom of the final rope, you’ll be next to Abiqua Creek. It’s worth taking a moment here to admire the incredible green of the moss-covered trees on the slopes of the canyon. In winter, the creek is swollen and surging. In summer, it’s tranquil and shallow enough for wading.
Abiqua Creek
Now is the tricky part, at least in wetter months. Normally, you follow the trail along the creek to Abiqua Falls. There are some rocks and logs to negotiate, but it’s pretty straightforward. In winter and spring, the creek is often high enough to flood the trail. You can still make it to Abiqua Falls. It’s just harder. My working title for this article was A Masochist’s Guide to Abiqua Falls.
Abiqua Creek floods the trail in wetter months
If the trail is flooded, start back up the hill and look for a faint path about 20 feet up from the creek. From here, the terrain is notably more challenging. It’s only about a quarter mile to Abiqua Falls, but it will feel longer, all rocks and roots and giant steps up and down. The navigation, at least, is easy. Just follow the only path that could conceivably be a trail parallel to the creek. Since I went in January, this is our route, alas.
Trail of last resort
To distract yourself from how many times you stumble and bash your shins, it helps to focus on how absolutely bananas the scenery is. Mossy boulders decorate the dusky blue of Abiqua Creek. Mist often settles in the canyon, making it a proper enchanted forest.
Abiqua Creek
Moss covers every trunk and branch like countless bright green stockings. After the leaves fall, it stands out all the more.
Cliffs appear
Toward the end of the hike, you’ll start seeing the basalt cliffs that shape the amphitheater around Abiqua Falls. This area is geologically similar to Silver Falls State Park, formed by far-traveled lava flows millions of years ago. If you persevere until the cliffs, I recommend not giving up. Abiqua Falls is just ahead.
Almost there
After a brief and final descent through a Middle Earth-ian landscape, you’ll round a corner and reach the finale.
Abiqua Falls
Abiqua Falls makes a powerful 92-foot single plunge over a cliff of hexagonal basalt. The waterfall never dries up but can be a little lackluster by late summer. Winter and spring are another story. The reward for the difficult journey to falls is seeing the torrents of water spilling over the cliff. The columns that make it up are unusually uniform, reflecting the conditions present when the lava cooled. Farther from Abiqua Falls, the rock transitions to the more irregular pattern of entablature basalt. Lichen adds a rust-red color to the rock alongside green moss.
Abiqua Falls
If the water level in the creek is low enough to walk along the main trail, you’ll arrive at the base of the falls with no problem. If you have to take the winter bypass route, it’s trickier. There’s a scramble down to the pool below the falls. A prudent person would turn around.
Another scramble
The base of Abiqua Falls has a large splash pool and boulder-strewn shore. In wetter months, this shore may only be a sliver. In summer, it’s easier to approach, and the rocky beach is broader. On weekends, it can get crowded.
Abiqua Falls
Unless the water is very high, you can walk around and get a side view of Abiqua Falls. On a Tuesday in January, there’s not another soul around, and it feels like you’re the first one to discover it.
Abiqua Falls
When you’ve finished admiring the falls, I’m afraid you’ll need to return the way you came. Bring a snack and linger as long as you can.
Top of the falls
Now for the secret part. A determined person can get to the top of Abiqua Falls. To do it, return to the road. Head away from the trailhead parking. If you parked at Crooked Finger OHV Area, it’s on the way back to your car. Look for a subtle unmarked trail branching off to the right. It’s about a half mile from the trailhead. The best way to find it is to listen for the sound of the waterfall.
The trail on the right leads to the top of the falls
Once you start, the trail is faint but present. Unfortunately, a small network of interconnecting trails confuses things. Follow the sound of the waterfall and keep heading downhill. The top of Abiqua Falls is only about 0.1 miles from the road.
The faint trail to the top of Abiqua Falls
Once you reach the top of the falls, you’ll see the lip where it spills over the cliff. Upstream is a small upper tier and some cascades. To get closer, you’ll need to climb down a rock ledge about 10 feet high. There’s a rope to help with the descent. Proceed with caution. I didn’t go down because the rope was waterlogged, and the rocks were very slick. If it were dry, it would be doable with some climbing.
Top of Abiqua Falls
Return to the road when you’re done seeing the top of the falls. If you get turned around, head uphill.
Scotts Mills County Park
Scotts Mills Falls
No matter which direction you’re coming from, you’ll pass Scotts Mills County Park on the way to and from Abiqua Falls. It’s worth making a stop here, and not just for the bathroom access before you head to an amenity-less trailhead. The park’s main highlight is Scotts Mills Falls, located only a few steps from the parking lot. It’s a partly dammed, partly natural waterfall along Butte Creek that makes a pretty 10-foot drop over a broad rocky ledge. In summer, it’s a popular swimming hole. Scotts Mills County Park has picnic tables and a playground. There are enough trees around to make it feel like the woods. Parking is free. Day use only.
Explore nearby
Try out the waterfall hikes at Silver Falls State Park.
Find tips for visiting Silver Falls State Park in the winter.
Visit the reopened trail to Shellburg Falls.
See the waterfalls of McDowell Creek County Park.
