Little Zigzag Falls trail is a family-friendly, beautiful walk to a small waterfall.

The trailhead for this walk is on the way to Mt. Hood from Sandy. Roughly 23 miles east past Sandy in the town of Rhododendron, you’ll turn on forest road 2639 (Kiwanis Camp Road; also Road 39) and continue for 2.2 miles to the end where the road will dead-end and there is a large parking area. 

This trail is .7 miles out and back with little elevation gain, perfect for little legs or a short stop to or from the mountain. In the summer, when it is hot out, it stays cooler in this canyon, and the water is refreshing and fun for the kids to play in. You can bring swimsuits for them or a change of clothes, depending on how adventurous your kids are.

You walk to the trailhead from the parking lot, where there is an information sign describing the old highway in 1923. Further down the trail, there is another sign and a picnic table. There is a porta-potty in the parking lot and no running water. 

Every season this trail is lush, green, mossy and follows Little Zigzag Creek the whole way. There are two footbridges you cross along the way. Look for huckleberries and rhododendron bushes blooming in the summer. Little Zigzag Creek eventually merges into the Sandy River once it makes its way to the town of Sandy. 

A snowshoe is an option in the winter. The road is usually plowed to the nearby Kiwanis Camp, a short walk to the trailhead from there. 

A Northwest Forest Pass is required. An America, the Beautiful Pass, is also accepted. Dogs are allowed on leash. Cell phone service is spotty but usually can get a signal along the trail.