Spirit Falls is a 40-foot veiling horsetail waterfall on Alex Creek in the Umpqua National Forest, Lane County, Oregon.
The falls
Alex Creek veils over a grooved, moss-covered cliff in a single drop, fed by snowmelt and groundwater; it can widen into a broad wall of water in winter and thin to a lace-like veil by summer. The height is generally put at 40 feet, though the Forest Service gives about 60 feet.
Getting there
Oregon Hikers routes visitors from Layng Creek Road onto Road 1790 to a roadside turnout, from which the out-and-back trail runs about 0.6 mile. The falls are on land managed by the Umpqua National Forest.
When to go
Winter through spring brings the best flow; by summer the falls can thin to a veil, with a chance of drying out late in the season.
On site
The trail reaches a pool and a picnic table below the falls. Swimming and camping are both prohibited because Alex Creek feeds the Layng Creek municipal water supply.
History and name
A land-management employee, Kevin Riel, found the falls in 1978 and first called it Andrea Falls after his wife; a Boy Scout troop that built the trail in the early 1980s requested the present name to honor the spirit of Scouting.
Nearby
Saltpeter Falls is about 0.3 mile away, Silverstairs Falls about 1.1 miles, Moon Falls about 1.5 miles, and Pinard Falls about 2 miles.
Distances are straight-line.