Waterfalls in Oregon

Where the waterfalls are in Oregon

Oregon has more named waterfalls than almost any other state, and they cluster in three places: the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, the western Cascades along the McKenzie, Umpqua and Santiam rivers, and the Coast Range. The Gorge alone has dozens of falls within a short drive of Portland, because side streams drop off basalt cliffs left behind when Ice Age floods scoured the river canyon.

Layers of lava rock are the reason Oregon falls look the way they do: tall plunges over dark basalt, often with a cave-like recess behind the water. Many can be reached on short trails from a road.

Well-known waterfalls in Oregon

Multnomah Falls

Oregon's most visited natural site, a two-tier fall of about 620 feet in the Columbia River Gorge. A paved trail climbs to Benson Bridge between the tiers. Check for seasonal timed-use permits on the Historic Columbia River Highway before you go. Falls near Multnomah Falls.

Latourell Falls

A 249-foot plunge off a basalt cliff streaked with yellow lichen, a few minutes' walk from the Historic Columbia River Highway. Falls near Latourell Falls.

South Falls

The 177-foot centrepiece of Silver Falls State Park, where the Trail of Ten Falls loop passes behind several of the falls. Falls near South Falls.

Toketee Falls

A two-step fall on the North Umpqua River framed by columns of basalt, reached by a short trail with a viewing platform. Falls near Toketee Falls.

Salt Creek Falls

One of the tallest single drops in Oregon at about 286 feet, just off Highway 58 near Willamette Pass. Falls near Salt Creek Falls.

Ramona Falls

A broad fan of water spilling over mossy basalt steps on the west side of Mount Hood, at the end of a popular loop trail. Falls near Ramona Falls.

Sahalie Falls

A thundering fall on the upper McKenzie River, linked to nearby Koosah Falls by a riverside trail. Falls near Sahalie Falls.

When to go

Winter rain and spring snowmelt keep most Oregon falls running from November through June. Late summer and early fall are the low point, though the biggest falls never stop. See the best time to see waterfalls for how flow changes by region.

Oregon by the numbers

The map shows 389 named falls in Oregon. 241 of them are in the USGS Geographic Names Information System, the federal register of official place names, and 148 more are named falls mapped only in OpenStreetMap. 114 have a height recorded by OpenStreetMap mappers, which is what the height filter above uses. LaneCounty has the most, with 26.

Tallest recorded waterfalls in Oregon

Heights as recorded in OpenStreetMap, converted to feet. Guidebooks may list different figures, usually because they count every tier of a fall or only the biggest drop. Why heights differ.

Counties with the most waterfalls

From the USGS record, which gives each fall's county.

Every named waterfall in Oregon

Alphabetical within each county. Tap a name to centre the map above on it.

Baker County (1)

East Fork Falls

Benton County (2)

Alsea Falls, Green Peak Falls

Clackamas County (15)

Eagle Creek Upper Falls, Fall Creek Falls, Final Falls, Frustration Falls, Hideaway Falls, Little Niagara Falls, Middle Falls, Pegleg Falls, Ramona Falls (120 ft), Split Falls, Stein Falls, The Falls, Vanishing Falls, Willamette Falls (39 ft), Yocum Falls

Clatsop County (6)

Barth Falls, Fishhawk Falls, Gnat Creek Falls, Little Falls, North Fork Falls, Youngs River Falls

Columbia County (2)

Beaver Falls (233 ft), Bonnie Falls

Coos County (12)

Coquille River Falls, Elk Creek Falls, Estelle Falls, Golden Falls, Henrys Falls, Hewett Falls (80 ft), Laverne Falls, Lost Creek Falls, Middle Creek Falls, Pidgeon Falls, Silver Falls, Stulls Falls

Crook County (2)

Lower Falls, Upper Falls

Curry County (1)

Stair Creek Falls

Deschutes County (14)

Awbrey Falls, Benham Falls, Big Falls, Chush Falls (67 ft), Cline Falls (20 ft), Dillon Falls, Fall River Falls, Lava Island Falls, Odin Falls, Paulina Creek Falls, Pringle Falls, Tumalo Falls (89 ft), Upper Chush Falls (223 ft), Upper Falls Deschutes River

Douglas County (25)

Campbell Falls, Cavitt Falls, Clearwater Falls, Clover Falls, Deer Lick Falls, Emile Falls, Grotto Falls, Hemlock Falls, Lemolo Falls (165 ft), Little Falls, Lower Kentucky Falls (384 ft), Muir Creek Falls, North Fork Falls (410 ft), Platinum Falls, Shadow Falls, Smith River Falls, South Umpqua Falls, Steamboat Falls, Susan Creek Falls, Toketee Falls (113 ft), Upper Kentucky Falls (289 ft), Watson Falls (292 ft), Whitehorse Falls, Wolf Creek Falls, Yakso Falls (60 ft)

Gilliam County (2)

Tumwater Falls, Wolf Hollow Falls

Grant County (4)

Meadow Brooks Falls, Slide Falls, South Fork Falls, Strawberry Falls

Hood River County (13)

Lancaster Falls (231 ft), Loowit Falls (78 ft), Metlako Falls (102 ft), Punch Bowl Falls (36 ft), Punchbowl Falls, Sahale Falls, Switchback Falls, Tamanawas Falls (108 ft), Tunnel Falls (172 ft), Umbrella Falls (59 ft), Wah Gwin Gwin Falls, Wallalute Falls, Warren Creek Falls

Jackson County (8)

Barr Creek Falls, Butte Falls (15 ft), Chocolate Falls, Dillon Falls (10 ft), Marjorie Falls, Mill Creek Falls (173 ft), Ti'lomikh Falls, Turner Drop

Jefferson County (2)

Steelhead Falls, Wizard Falls

Josephine County (8)

Grave Creek Falls, Kelsey Falls (historical), Little Illinois River Falls (16 ft), Lower Black Bar Falls, Rainie Falls, Silver Falls, Taylor Creek Falls, Upper Black Bar Falls

Klamath County (5)

Annie Falls (52 ft), Duwee Falls (98 ft), Klamath Falls, Red Blanket Falls, Stuart Falls

Lake County (1)

Deep Creek Falls

Lane County (26)

Beaver Creek Falls, Chichester Falls, Diamond Creek Falls (120 ft), Fall Creek Falls (160 ft), Grouse Mountain Falls, Honey Creek Falls, Indian Hole Falls, Lillian Falls, Linton Falls (600 ft), Lower Parker Falls, Lower Trestle Creek Falls, Moonfalls, Obsidian Falls, Pinard Falls, Proxy Falls (226 ft), Rainbow Falls, Salmon Falls, Salt Creek Falls, Siuslaw Falls, Smith Falls, Spirit Falls, Sweet Creek Falls, The Horn, Upper Parker Falls, Upper Trestle Creek Falls, Wildwood Falls

Lincoln County (6)

Cascade Falls, Echo Falls, Euchre Falls, Fall Creek Falls, Martin Falls, Valsetz Falls

Linn County (13)

Cascade Falls, Gatch Falls, Gooch Falls, Koosah Falls (74 ft), Lower Soda Falls, Marion Falls, McNabb Falls, Moose Creek Falls, Painter Falls, Rainbow Falls, Sahalie Falls (73 ft), Tamolitch Falls, Upper Soda Falls

Malheur County (1)

Groundhog Falls

Marion County (22)

Abiqua Falls (92 ft), Ayers Creek Falls, Butte Creek Falls (79 ft), Double Falls (184 ft), Drake Falls (26 ft), Drift Creek Falls, Henline Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Lower North Falls (30 ft), Lower Shellburg Falls, Lower South Falls (92 ft), Middle North Falls (105 ft), North Falls (135 ft), Salmon Falls, Shellburg Falls, South Falls (177 ft), Stasel Falls, Stout Creek Falls, Sullivan Creek Falls, Twin Falls (30 ft), Upper North Falls (66 ft), Winter Falls (135 ft)

Morrow County (3)

Buck Falls, Glutton Falls, Thompson Falls

Multnomah County (15)

Bridal Veil Falls (118 ft), Coopey Falls (150 ft), Elowah Falls (213 ft), Horsetail Falls (214 ft), Latourell Falls (224 ft), Mist Falls (518 ft), Moffett Falls, Multnomah Falls (541 ft), Oneonta Falls (98 ft), Tanner Creek Falls, Upper Latourell Falls (120 ft), Wahclella Falls (127 ft), Wahe Falls (80 ft), Wahkeena Falls (242 ft), Wiesendanger Falls (49 ft)

Polk County (2)

Berry Creek Falls, Silver Falls

Sherman County (1)

Horseshoe Falls

Tillamook County (8)

Chitwood Falls, Fern Rock Falls, Kilchis Falls, Munson Creek Falls (319 ft), Nehalem Falls, Nenamusa Falls, University Falls, Wilson Falls (200 ft)

Union County (3)

Copper Creek Falls, Lookingglass Falls, Lower Falls Little Minam River

Wallowa County (5)

Hunter Falls, Imnaha Falls, Minam Falls, tíkem Falls, Wallowa Falls

Wasco County (6)

Celestial Falls (43 ft), Celilo Falls (historical), Cushing Falls, Mill Creek Falls, Sherars Falls, White River Falls

Washington County (5)

Haines Falls, Jackson Falls, Ki-a-Kuts Falls, Lee Falls, Little Lee Falls

Yamhill County (2)

Baker Creek Falls, Gunaldo Falls

County not recorded (148)

Alkali Falls (131 ft), Annice Falls, Bailey Falls, Barrier Falls, BC Creek Falls, Big Alvord Creek Falls, Blumenthal Falls, Bogus Falls, Brice Creek Falls (13 ft), Bridge Creek Falls, Cabin Creek Falls (220 ft), Camp Benson Falls (85 ft), Cannonball Falls, Cavitt Falls, Cedar Mill Falls, Cherry Creek Falls, Clackamas Falls, Clark Creek Falls, Coe Falls, Coffee Creek Falls, Columnar Canyon Falls (125 ft), Cooper Spur Falls, Dalton Falls, Dead Point Falls (75 ft), Devil's Staircase, Double Falls, Drift Creek Falls (75 ft), Dry Creek Falls (72 ft), Dry Falls, Dutchman Falls (33 ft), Echo Creek Falls, Ecola Falls (55 ft), Eden Park Falls, Elk Wallow Falls, Emerald Falls, Fairy Falls (20 ft), Fall Creek Falls, Fall Creek Falls, Flume Creek Falls, Four Mile Falls (95 ft), Foxglove Falls, Frenchie Falls, Gorton Creek Falls, Grand Union Falls (41 ft), Granite Falls, Harrison Falls, Hidden Falls, Hole-in-the-Wall Falls (96 ft), Homestead Falls, Horse Creek, House Rock Falls, Howlaak Falls (70 ft), Hug Point Falls, Ice Falls (480 ft), Illinois River Falls (20 ft), Jane Martin Waterfall, Kalakwahtie Falls, Knapp Falls, Lindsey Creek Falls (53 ft), Little Zigzag Falls, Lower Butte Creek Falls, Lower Clackamas Falls, Lower Dryer Falls, Lower Heather Canyon Falls, Lower Lancaster Falls (20 ft), Lower Multnomah Falls (69 ft), Lower Punch Bowl Falls (12 ft), Lower Ruckel Creek Falls, Lower White River Falls (20 ft), Majestic Falls, Marten Buttes Falls (364 ft), McGee Creek Falls, McKay Crossing Falls, Memaloose Falls, Middle Heather Canyon Falls, Middle Mimie Falls, Middle Oneonta Falls (24 ft), Mimie Falls, Moon Falls, Mosier Creek Falls, Munra Falls (68 ft), National Falls, Newton Creek Falls, Niagara Falls (135 ft), Nick Eaton Falls, Nob falls, Pacific Crest Falls, Paradise Branch Falls (246 ft), Paulina Falls, Pencil Falls, Pheasant Creek Falls (125 ft), Phoenix Falls (110 ft), Plaikni Falls, Ponytail Falls (88 ft), Punchbowl Canyon Falls, Ranger Falls, Rider Creek Falls, Rinehart Falls, Root Beer Falls, Rough Rider Falls, Royal Terrace Falls, Rumley falls, Sahalie Falls, Salmon Creek Falls, Salt Creek Falls (286 ft), Sandy River Falls, Sawmill Falls, Seven Lakes Falls, Shady Creek Falls (177 ft), Shepperd's Dell Falls (82 ft), Sherar's Falls (15 ft), Singer Falls, Skoonichuk Falls (48 ft), Slick Rock Creek Falls, Slide Creek Falls, Sorenson Falls (164 ft), Stafford Falls (98 ft), Starvation Creek Falls (227 ft), Stranahan Falls, Summit Creek Falls (30 ft), Susan Creek Falls, Tenas Falls (18 ft), The Cascades, Triple Falls (64 ft), Tumble Creek Falls, Tumble Falls, Twister Falls (148 ft), Upper Abiqua Falls, Upper Bridal Veil Falls (80 ft), Upper Butte Creek Falls (26 ft), Upper Coopey Falls, Upper Dryer Falls, Upper Heather Canyon Falls, Upper McCord Creek Falls (64 ft), Upper Munra Falls, Upper Oneonta Falls (65 ft), Upper Proxy Falls (129 ft), Upper Tumalo Falls, Upper Wahe Falls (50 ft), Vidae Falls (115 ft), Waespe Falls, Wapiti Falls, Warm Springs Falls (60 ft), Waters of Mormon, Wauna Falls, Whychus Creek Falls, Wy'east Falls (157 ft), Yocum Ridge Falls (394 ft)

Before you go

The map shows where falls are, not whether they are open or safe to reach. Check the land manager, usually a state park or national forest, for closures, fees and permits, and stay on the trail near the water. Our waterfall safety guide covers the hazards, and waterfall hikes near me explains how to pick a trail.

Waterfalls near cities in Oregon

Every named fall within driving range of the city, nearest first: waterfalls near Portland, waterfalls near Eugene, waterfalls near Bend.

Waterfalls in nearby states: Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Montana. Or see waterfalls in every state.