Drift Creek Wilderness
The Drift Creek Wilderness (5,798 acres) is one of three small Wilderness areas established on the Siuslaw National Forest by Act of Congress in 1984. It is located in the Oregon Coast Range, north of Waldport and south of Newport, Oregon. There are about 8.5 miles of trails in the Drift Creek Wilderness. Stock use is prohibited due to fragile soil conditions. Towering Sitka spruce and western hemlock that sometimes reach seven feet in diameter shade the Coast Range's largest rainforest stand of old growth. The steep canyons of rock-splattered Drift Creek may give you the impression of mountainous country, but the forested hills rise only slightly above 2,000 feet.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Oregon |
| Size | 5,792 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 44.47° N, 123.93° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 4 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
3 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 12 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Horse Creek Trail North ↗ | 5.6 | |
| Horse Creek South | 4.1 | |
| Harris Ranch | 2.6 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 8.4 miSt. John's Episcopal Church ↗Toledo, OR
- 8.7 miPacific Spruce Saw Mill Tenant Houses ↗Toledo, OR
- 8.8 miNorth Fork of the Yachats Bridge ↗Yachats, OR
- 10.3 miYaquina Bay Bridge No. 01820 ↗Newport, OR
- 10.7 miOld Yaquina Bay Lighthouse ↗Newport, OR
- 10.8 miFisher School Bridge ↗Fisher, OR
- 11 miRoper, Charles and Theresa, House ↗Newport, OR
- 11.4 miNew Cliff House ↗Newport, OR
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Oregon
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Drift Creek Wilderness?
5,792 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Drift Creek Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Drift Creek Wilderness in?
Oregon.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Drift Creek Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Drift Creek Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Drift Creek Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 44.466° N, 123.928° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Drift Creek Wilderness?
The National Register has 12 listings within 15 miles, including St. John's Episcopal Church and Pacific Spruce Saw Mill Tenant Houses.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.