Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). You can read my full disclosure policy here.
An hour away from Crater Lake in Oregon, lies another beautiful feature hidden among the trees of the Umpqua National Forest: Toketee Falls. Our tour guide from our sand dunes tour the previous day had recommended we stopped here and with little information to go on beyond the name, we set off. Getting there was a bit of an adventure for us. Our guide had told us to look for the giant pipe and you’ll find the trail. The falls are well marked on the highway and we found the correct turn off. We just couldn’t find the falls. We ended up driving up this isolated road with barely a soul. We knew we were definitely in the wrong place, but how can you complain when you stumble upon a beautiful lake.
Turns out this is Diamond Lake and we had definitely overshot the falls. In our wanders we found the trail head for Umpqua Hot Springs which I later found out are really popular and also free (plus, if you want to go au naturel this is the place to go). Maybe we should have gone for a dip. We decided to turn around and just keep on going to Crater Lake and that was when we found where we were headed. You know you’ve arrived at the trail head when you spot the 12 foot tall Toketee Pipeline. How we managed to miss it, I have no idea.
That pipe is massive. How did we not see it?!
The trail is easy and well marked and there are plenty of stairs and handrails. The whole trail is about 1/3 mile so very manageable. After scrambling up and down, you arrive at an overlook of the falls. The falls are broken up into two tiers: the upper stands at 28 feet and the lower at 85 feet before plunging into a large pool. Toketee is a Chinook word for “Graceful” and it’s not hard to imagine why.
I had just unboxed my new GoPro and I had a lot of fun taking photos and video of the whole experience.
Visiting Toketee Falls is the prefect stopping point to get out and stretch your legs on your drive into Crater Lake from Roseburg. We trusted the word of our tour guide and discovered something cool that we otherwise wouldn’t have seen. Despite not really knowing what we were looking for (maybe one of us should have Googled for more details beyond “look for the pipe”), it was one grand adventure.
Have you taken the advice of someone you met while traveling to discover something new?
If you’re new to Pack Me To, welcome!
Stay on top of my travel and food adventures by liking me on Facebook and following me on Twitter & Instagram.
Wow! What a gorgeous place!! I love how the waterfall falls into a secluded little lake. I’d love to take a dip there!
I didn’t spot any paths down to the pool – actually if I remember correctly, the whole thing was sectioned off by a fence. Very strange, but I’m sure someone would have figured out how to get down there somehow.
What a stunning place, Adelina! Your beautiful pictures make me want to be there right now. I love mountain scenery and waterfalls and lakes… It’s great that they maintain these areas so well. It makes it a pleasure to visit them.
Yes, definitely. The easy and well marked paths make it very easy to enjoy the beauty.
Adelina…It looks like a beautiful place. Love your shot up the trees! How do you like the GoPro?
Thanks Corinne! I’m liking my GoPro so far. Still learning how to use it properly though. I love the videos it shoots. The pictures don’t come out very well. I usually need to fiddle a little with it in lightroom. I really like the shot up the trees too. The fish eye of the camera really helps give it height!
Adelina this looks like an amazing place, the waterfall and mountain scenery were beautifully photographed with the GoPro, kinda makes me want to get one! Thank you so much for sharing an area I have never seen.
Thanks Lyn! It was a really cool place to discover especially since we hadn’t planned on discovering it!
Those falls are gorgeous! I just love Oregon, it’s such a beautiful state. Great pit stop on the way to Crater Lake!
Agreed! Oregon is so beautiful and so much of it goes undiscovered.
Beautiful place. Spending time in the nature is always calm and rewarding. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Zorica! It indeed was a beautiful place and you’re right. Nature is good for soul.
A really gorgeous spot and your GoPro does it justice. I am off to NZ and Fiji soon and was thinking of getting one to capture the journey.
DO IT! The photos it takes are okay – I had to edit mine a little for colour. The video is absolutely stunning though.
That lake looks like a great place to get lost! The first time I used my new GoPro was on a hiking trip and I took LOADS of photos haha it’s hard to resist when you have such a cool new toy!
Exactly! I’m still figuring out how to use it exactly, but it’s been a lot of fun.
After reading i`m convinced, having of a tour guide is much better than being solo! Fabulous place)