You are here

Pets allowed
Allowed
Elevation Gain
350.00 ft (106.68 m)
Trail type
There-and-back
Distance
2.20 mi (3.54 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Sweet Creek is a great adventure packed with waterfalls, wildflowers, and old-growth forest. This short hike makes for a delightful side-trip if you're heading to the coast, and it's located just 24 miles inland from Florence in the Siuslaw National Forest.

There are several trailheads along Sweet Creek, making this trail easy to hike in segments. To hike the entire trail, start at the Homestead Sweet Creek Trailhead and hike the 2.2 miles to Sweet Creek Falls and back. You will find a variety of wildflowers in spring ranging from trillium, fairly bells, bleeding hearts, skunk cabbage, and sour grass. During the summer you can snack on salmonberries as you trek alongside Sweet Creek, and as you proceed to Punchbowl Falls Canyon through towering stands of Douglas fir, big-leaf maple, and alder, various birds and butterflies can be found near the creek. In 1879, this cascading creek was settled by Zarah Sweet, and portions of an early wagon road have been incorporated on trails near the creek. 

For a quick trip nearby, head south on Sweet Creek Road for 1.3 miles, take a left on gravel road 939, and continue for 0.7 miles to the road's end. There is a short trail that leads to Beaver Creek Falls. Sweet Creek and Beaver Creek meet here to make a beautiful double waterfall. There is another option to hike the 0.6 miles to the bottom of this waterfall from the Wagon Road Trailhead.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

Moderate

Parking Pass

NW Forest Pass

Pros

Wildflowers. Old-growth forest. Several waterfalls.

Cons

Crowded on weekends.

Trailhead Elevation

160.00 ft (48.77 m)

Features

Historically significant
Waterfalls
Bird watching
Wildlife
Old-growth forest
Wildflowers
Fishing

Location

Nearby Adventures

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Comments

High reward, low effort! But expect a steady stream of fellow nature lovers.
03/16/2019
This hike was more beautiful than I anticipated! The falls were fantastic and spring is starting to peak through!
03/06/2018
Mid to Late October is one of the best times to hit this trail. Early fall rains have the creek and falls full of water, the trail is far less crowded than spring, and summer, and the falls colors mixed among the evergreens make for striking photos.
Have updates, photos, alerts, or just want to leave a comment?
Sign In and share them.

A profound concept originally envisioned by governor Oswald West, in 1967 the Oregon legislature ultimately realized his vision of making the entire Oregon Coast forever open to the public in a piece of landmark legislation titled the Oregon Beach Bill, officially making all 363 miles public land. "The People's Coast" is truly a one-of-a-kind coastline, a unique blend of mountains and rocky stacks, towering old growth forests, marine sanctuaries, tide pools and kelp forests, charming towns, historic fishing communities, world-class golfing, breweries, and simply jaw-dropping scenic beaches. We encourage you to plan your next trip at visittheoregoncoast.com or by calling (541) 574-2679.

More content from The People's Coast