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Even if you don't get out of the car, the drive is one of the most scenic in this part of the state.
SHORT HIKES TO WATERFALLS ... OR A LONGER STREAMSIDE TREK
On your way up State 138 from Roseburg, your first stop is the small town of Glide, where the Colliding Rivers Information Center (open 9 to 5 daily in summer) offers maps, information on everything from campgrounds to commercial river trips, and current fishing regulations. A wayside here overlooks the spot where the North Umpqua and Little rivers meet at a near-90 [degrees] angle, a churning maelstrom of foam at its most dramatic during winter high water.
As you drive upriver, small streams tumbling down steep side canyons into the North Umpqua offer a rare concentration of short, mostly easy hikes to waterfalls as delightful for their variety as for their beauty (though not for their poison oak). Of the major falls in the North Umpqua drainage, the following three are easily accessible - and our favorites.
The first waterfall trail you'll come to, 12 miles east of Glide, is Susan Creek Falls, a gentle mile walk (keep to the right where the trail forks) through transition forest, where oak and bay laurel give way to Douglas fir. Picnickers will find a shady table near the base of the falls, a 50-foot-tall plume streaming over a mossy rock wall.
Barely 4 miles farther up the road is the trailhead to Fall Creek Falls, another mile-long hike that weaves between big slabs of rock to the bottom of the three-tiered cascade. Climbing another 1/4 mile up a single long switchback brings you to a spray-soaked view of the middle fall; continuing to the lip of the small top tier takes you, disappointingly, to a road.
Perhaps the nicest hike is to Watson Falls, whose thundering, 272-foot free fall is one of the state's tallest. When we climbed the moderately steep 1/2-mile trail through this upper-elevation forest 45 miles east of Glide late last June, the cool understory of Oregon grape and ferns was accented by purplish pink rhododendron blooms.
There's a fourth falls option about 2 1/2 miles down the road from Watson Falls. The double cascade of Toketee Falls is at the end of a popular 1/2-mile trail that, after being closed last summer, should reopen with a new viewing platform this hiking season.
More serious hikers can attack the nearly completed North Umpqua Trail, a 77-mile path that will soon stretch from Rock Creek near Idleyld Park to the Pacific Crest Trail near Maidu Lake, the source of the North Umpqua. (The incomplete 8-mile stretch above Boulder Creek should be ready in July.) The 5 1/2-mile Mott segment near the Steamboat Inn (about an hour from Roseburg) edges a particularly scenic stretch of fly-fishing water. A free brochure listing all North Umpqua trailheads is available at the Colliding Rivers Information Center or by calling (541) 672-6601.
RIDING THE RIVER AND BIKING MOUNTAIN TRAILS
Fishing may be the oldest sport on the river, but the fastest-growing activity is rafting. This summer 13 outfitters have permits to run the river, testimony not only to the quality of the scenery but to the excitement of the ride. The most thrilling rafting comes in May and June, when water levels are high and rapids such as Frogger and Pinball churn with solid class 3 thrills. The water is cold enough in early season for outfitters to offer wet suits to paddlers.
One of the largest outfitters on the river is Oregon Ridge & River Excursions (496-3333), based in Glide. Half-day trips run $75; full-day trips cost $95 (wet suits included). Other major North Umpqua outfitters include Orange Torpedo Trips (800/635-2925), Oregon Whitewater Adventures (800/820-7238), and Ouzel Outfitters (800/788-7238).
Experienced mountain bikers can ride lower portions of the North Umpqua Trail or explore logging and fire roads off Illahee Road, 9 miles east of the Steamboat Inn. Oregon Ridge & River includes bike rentals in a variety of guided tours for all levels of bikers.
A VANISHING HERITAGE OF CLASSIC STEELHEAD FISHING
As varied as the North Umpqua's recreational opportunities are, the river's mystique is still steeped in its fishing lore, even though the reality of catching hard-fighting steelhead in these waters has certainly changed since the river's glory days of the 1930s. Nowadays fly fishers must find as much satisfaction in the art of fishing as in actually catching anything.
"Fishing for summer steelhead is probably the most difficult freshwater fishing in the world," says Jim Van Loan, owner of the Steamboat Inn, the spiritual and temporal heart of the river for nimrods. "You need to be able to cast at least 70 feet using an eight- to nine-weight fly rod, and you need to know where fish are holding. Wading can be tricky. Any shadow will spook fish, putting them down for an hour. Of course," Van Loan adds with a smile, "the challenge is what makes it so attractive."
Those are the verities faced by generations of fly fishers. Of more practical importance today, Van Loan acknowledges, is that this prime fishery has not been immune to the effects of logging, road building, and upstream hydroelectric dams: both salmon and steelhead runs have declined dramatically in recent years. Even with strict fishing regulations and a catch-and-release ethic, the combination of fewer fish and a growing number of fly anglers is a sure recipe for declining hookups.
Things were different in the early 1930s, when word of outstanding summer-long fishing first leaked out, attracting the likes of Zane Grey to camp and fish here. By 1935, guide Clarence Gordon had opened the North Umpqua Lodge on a bend in the river still called Camp Water. After dark, fishermen would gather for a late dinner at a table and benches carved from huge sugar-pine logs.
While Gordon's original lodge is long gone, the store he built across the river near Steamboat Creek eventually became the Steamboat Inn. Today the inn's 15 cabins and rooms are by far the most gracious accommodations on the river. One Steamboat Inn tradition that lingers is the late-evening fishermen's dinner. As dusk deepens, guests (and nonguests with dinner reservations) still gather around the original camp's log table to swap tales about the day's activities while passing heaping platters of food well worth the drive from Roseburg.
Tied to its fishing heritage, the inn offers anglers what any worthy fishing lodge must: inspiration for the morrow. Success may simply lie in a different fly. The shop here sells dozens of patterns, including the Black Gordon, which has been a river classic since it was first tied by Clarence Gordon nearly 60 years ago.
But perhaps you'd be better advised to hire the services of a fishing guide. Summer Run Guide Service (541/496-3037) wilt make sure you're properly outfitted and show you some tricks, for fees starting at $125 for a half-day.
CAMPING, LODGING, AND TRIP-PLANNING HELP
A popular getaway for Oregonians, the North Umpqua boasts several public campgrounds along State 138 (call 800/452-5687), plus campgrounds at Diamond Lake (800/280-2267) near the entrance to Crater Lake National Park. Most fill quickly on summer weekends but remain relatively open midweek, though early arrival to claim a campsite is always recommended.
Lodging along the river is more limited. Rates at the Steamboat Inn (800/840-8825) range from $95 for a motel-style room with a king or queen bed and a river view to $225 for a separate cottage (add $25 for Saturday-only stays). Plan ahead - the inn can fill up weeks in advance at the height of the summer season. Steelhead Run Bed & Breakfast (800/348-0563) near Glide has five clean and functional rooms that range from $65 to $80 in summer.
Your best bets for last-minute reservations are the numerous motels just off I-5 in Roseburg; the Roseburg Visitors & Convention Bureau (800/444-9584) can send detailed information on lodging in town. It's also a source for information about North Umpqua recreation options, including Diamond Lake (which has a convention center) and Crater Lake National Park.
A delightful read for anyone interested in the river's fly-fishing heritage is A River Seen Right, by Michael Baughman (Lyons & Burford, Publishers, New York, 1995; $25).
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