The last weekend of January was Val’s company holiday party at the coast. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to do some hiking, she did a bit of research and found this little hike that was conveniently on the way to Lincoln City. So we packed the car with our nice clothes for the party and weekend and took off in our hiking clothes. Getting to the trailhead is somewhat easy as you have to make a turn and drive away from the Salmon River Hwy and continue, for quite a bit, on a very windy road. We thought, as we were driving there that this would be kind of a secluded hike yet we knew there was a hanging bridge. It was a bit puzzling. Then we landed on the trailhead. It was actually really easy to find as the parking area was full. It seems this hike is far better known than what we anticipated. Most people were coming from the coast though. Right from the start we knew it would be an easy stroll on a very well maintained and signed trail. At first it meanders thru rich dense forests descending towards an unseen canyon. You pass several wood bridges and suddenly you come to a turn with a big square post. Thru the trees you make the first tower of the hanging bridge just before realizing that is quite big. The bridge itself is very sturdy and crosses the canyon with the creek running below it. The most impressive thing though is the waterfall you see at an angle behind you to the right. After the bridge, you can take a short trail that descends and turns around ending right in front of the base of the water fall. It’s another nice view with the bridge high above it. In the description we did note that there’s a second trail, the ridge trail. Going up, we took that detour that follows a higher route and then re-joins the main trail. This portion of the trail is as beautiful as the main trail but certainly receives less visitors. Being a short hike and all, it was very rewarding and highly recommended if you happen to be I the areaInteractive map
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