6 Incredible Waterfalls to See in Oregon
The Pacific Northwest is such a unique place. I took a 5 week road trip around Oregon & Washington in the summer of 2021 before I took a travel nurse assignment in Seattle for 4 months. One of my favorite things to explore and discover were waterfalls. I love getting up close to waterfalls, where you can feel the intense wind and feel the mist envelope you- you can really feel nature’s power. Staring up at a massive waterfall, there’s nothing I can do but smile!
Keep reading to see what I think are the best Oregon waterfalls.
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Best Oregon Waterfalls: Proxy Falls
Location
A little west of Bend, OR. Find directions here. Winter warning: the road closes about 2.5 miles before the trailhead.
Trail Stats
1.6 miles roundtrip; 147 ft. elevation gain. Find recent trail information, reviews, and a map here! The trail is rather easy and short, but does require a small little scramble down from the main trail to get the full view of the lower falls!
Why I Love It
This waterfall is HUGE, and you can feel the force and the mist when you get closer. It’s exhilarating, and the view is absolutely breathtaking! The logs near the waterfall make for a great picture. But, do be aware they are slippery so be careful! And if you get as close as I was in the picture, prepare to be soaked!
Best Oregon Waterfalls: Wahkeena Falls
Location
Wahkeena Falls is located on the same road as the famous Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. Find directions here.
Trail Stats
If you park at the Wahkeena Falls Day Use Trailhead, it is a mostly paved short and steep hike up to the falls, at only 0.2 miles one way. You can hit multiple waterfalls, including Multnomah Falls, on this 6 mile hike.
Why I Love It
When I went here in July, Multnomah Falls was way too crowded and I decided to skip it. Luckily, Wahkeena Falls wasn’t very crowded and made for a great quick stop. I also liked how close you could get to the waterfall and feel its intensity and mist! With the sunlight coming through the mist, it makes for a great photo op.
Best Oregon Waterfalls: Ramona Falls
Location
Ramona Falls is located around Mount Hood. Get directions to the trail here!
Trail Stats
This is a longer hike, at 7 miles roundtrip and 1,066 feet elevation gain. Making it more difficult is a river crossing, which gets higher throughout the day. Go as early as you can, with at least one other person to ensure you’re as safe as possible! Find a map of the trail here as well as recent trail reviews & reports. Winter warning: the road to the trail closes making it an additional 2.5 miles each way!
Why I Love It
This waterfall’s shape reminded me of Proxy Falls. It’s such a unique shape, with water cascading down instead of the usual flow you see from a waterfall.
Best Oregon Waterfalls: Toketee Falls
Location
Located near Crater Lake and the famous Umpqua Hot Springs in Southwestern Oregon. Find directions here.
Trail Stats
Just 0.9 miles and 167 ft elevation gain. Find a trail map here and recent trail reviews and reports!
Why I Love It
It’s a short easy trail, the waterfall is two tiered, and it is unique in that the water flows over a wall of volcanic basalt. There is a side trail to go down to the waterfall itself, however it is steep and risky and I wasn’t up for it the day I went. I also saw in recent reports the rope to climb down is not there anymore.
Best Oregon Waterfalls: Sahalie & Koosah Falls
Location
These waterfalls are about a one hour drive from Bend, OR. Get directions here.
Trail Stats
To hit both of the waterfalls, you can do a loop 2.9 mile hike with 360 feet elevation gain. View a trail map here with recent trail reviews and reports.
Why I Love It
The trail features not one, but two waterfalls and the blue color of the water is unique and beautiful! The hike itself is very pretty and a rather leisurely stroll and features a river as well.
Bonus Waterfall: Falls Creek Falls
Location
Falls Creek Falls is technically in Washington, about one hour away from the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. It is so close to the Oregon border, many people confuse it as being in Oregon! Get directions here.
Trail Stats
5.3 miles roundtrip with 1,100 feet of elevation gain if you do the whole trail, but you can cut out a bit if you just go to the lower falls viewpoint like I did. If you only go to the lower falls viewpoint, it is a 3.4 miles out and back hike. Learn more about the hike here.
Why I Love It
It is a tiered waterfall that is seriously magical looking! We started this hike early on a summer weekday morning and got the falls to ourselves for an hour. It also doesn’t take much effort to get close to the waterfall which is nice. And there is an easily accessible ledge that makes for a great photo!
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Want more waterfall content? Check out my blog post on the Alamere Falls hike in Northern California!
