Drift Creek Wilderness, Protected wilderness area in Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon, US

Drift Creek Wilderness covers 5,798 acres of steep, broken terrain in the Oregon Coast Range, with elevations from 150 to 1,500 feet. Old-growth Sitka spruce, western hemlock, western red cedar and Douglas fir dominate the forest, and about 8.5 miles of trail cross the area.

Alsea people hunted and gathered berries in the Drift Creek area before settlers arrived. In the early 20th century, American homesteaders failed to make a living here; Fred Purath ran a subsistence farm with a few cattle, and after his death in the early 1940s Earl Harris bought the land. The wilderness was created in 1984 together with Cummins Creek and Rock Creek wilderness areas.

The Harris Ranch Trail passes the only relic of the Harris Ranch homestead: a moss-covered stove and stove parts lying on the ground. Fred Purath ran a subsistence farm with a few head of cattle here until his death in the early 1940s, when Earl Harris bought the land.

About 120 inches (3,000 mm) of rain fall here each year, so expect wet ground and high water in the creek. The wilderness holds roughly 8.5 miles (14 km) of trail, and horseback riding is prohibited because the soil is fragile. Fishing is managed for native fish only.

Drift Creek Wilderness holds one of the largest remaining stands of old-growth forest in the Oregon Coast Range. Its Sitka spruce, western hemlock, western red cedar and Douglas fir shelter two endangered Oregon species, the northern spotted owl and the bald eagle.