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Little Falls Loop Trail, Oregon
TJ Howell Botanical Drive Road Guide

The Little Illinois River Falls Loop Trail begins on the TJ Howell Botanical Drive and goes down to a small water fall where visitors can watch migrating salmon during the early fall. The trail also follows a historic mining water ditch that was excavated during the Oregon gold rush in the 1850s. The site of Oregon's first gold discovery is about a half mile down river from this trail on Josephine Creek.

Directions
From Highway 46 in Cave Junction, drive 5 miles north on Highway 199 (towards Grants Pass) to Eight Dollar Mountain Road on your left near mile marker 24. Follow this road for about two miles and park in the parking lot on the left. From the parking, walk down the road toward the picnic area and look for the trail on the right next to the amphitheater. Follow the trail for about 300 feet to the historic water ditch. The trail forks. Go to the right, following the water ditch. The trail will go down to the river and then bring you past the falls and back to the parking area. The trail does not take you directly down to the falls but you can find places where people have gone down. Be extra careful on these unmaintained trails that go through steep terrain and loose rocks. 

Trail Description
The route takes you through plant communities growing on brick-red serpentine soils. Manzanita, Jeffrey pine and incense cedar are the most common plants. Watch for the historic water ditch about half way down the road that was once used for historic mining operations. The water-polished rock outcrops along the river offer a great opportunity to see serpentine rock up close. Most outcrops are a type of rock called harzburgite, a 50-50 mix of dark colored olivine with crystals of lighter colored pyroxinite speckling the surface. This is rock that was uplifted directly from the upper mantle and has a high content of iron. As rain and other elements break these rocks down, the iron turns to rust and gives the rocks and soil a rusty-red color. The rock has many fractures and some of the cracks are filled with green-colored serpentine minerals including small white-colored seams of chrysotile asbestos. Asbestos in its natural state is unlikely to pose a health risk commonly associated with asbestos used in buildings that, over time, dries and shatters into tiny crystals that cause suffocating lung damage called asbestosis. 

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