Oregon: May 2103, Day 3

Molly had to work Friday, so Cory and I were on our own.  We decided to drive along the North Umpqua River and hike some of the trails.  The North Umpqua and South Umpqua rivers converge about five miles west of Roseburg to form the Umpqua River that eventually meets the Pacific Ocean at Winchester Bay.  The North Umpqua is the "wilder" of the two branches and offers more recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, and rafting.

North Umpqua River looking upstream from the Tioga Bridge.

Our first stop was the Wolf Creek Falls Trail.  This 1.2 mile hike starts with an arch bridge that crosses the Little River, and winds through an old growth forest.  The main snow runoff season has past, so the flow over the falls has diminished.  However, it must be spectacular during the peak snow melt season.

Arch Bridge over the Little River.

Wolf Creek Falls.

Old Growth Forest.

Cory and his dog, Tyler, viewing the Falls.

The next hike was the Susan Creek Recreation Area.  A new hiking trail leads from the campground along the North Umpqua to the newly constructed pedestrian Tioga Bridge that crosses the river.  The new bridge is a beautiful wooden structure, and replaces the Young's Bay Bridge that was washed out by flooding in 1964, and connects foot traffic to the North Umpqua Trail.

New pedestrian footbridge.

After the Susan Creek hike, we stopped in the small town of Glide for a snack.  A rare geological feature occurs here when the Little River and the larger North Umpqua River meet head on.

We were back at Cory's by 3:00.  We met Molly for dinner at The Roseburg Station Pub and Brewery. Then we spent the evening around a backyard campfire solving the world's problems.  If only the politicians would listen to us.  ;-))     It was a great day.