Columbia River Gorge
36 waterfalls · Multnomah County, Hood River County, and Wasco County
The Oregon side of the Gorge has one of the densest clusters of tall waterfalls in North America, many of them lined up along the Historic Columbia River Highway east of Troutdale. Multnomah Falls, an upper and lower fall more than 600 feet tall in total, is the most visited natural site in the state. Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls are short walks from the old highway, and Wahclella Falls drops in two tiers on Tanner Creek near Cascade Locks. Basalt cliffs, moss, ferns and mist define this region, and its falls run year-round.
Start with: Multnomah Falls, Latourell Falls, Horsetail Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahclella Falls
Central Cascades and Willamette Foothills
92 waterfalls · Marion County, Linn County, Lane County, Clackamas County, and Deschutes County
Along the western slope of the Cascades, rivers drain toward the Willamette Valley through forested canyons rich in falls. Silver Falls State Park in Marion County contains a celebrated series, including South Falls and North Falls, which USGS records at 177 and 136 feet. Abiqua Falls in Marion County drops into a basalt amphitheater. On the McKenzie River in Linn County, Sahalie and Koosah falls pour over young lava flows, and Salt Creek Falls in Lane County plunges 286 feet near Willamette Pass. East of the crest, Tumalo Falls drops about 97 feet in the Deschutes National Forest near Bend.
Start with: Tumalo Falls, Salt Creek Falls, Sahalie Falls, Abiqua Falls, Koosah Falls
Umpqua and Rogue Country
49 waterfalls · Douglas County, Jackson County, Josephine County, Klamath County, and Curry County
Southern Oregon is a major waterfall region in its own right. Douglas County, second in the state, includes the North Umpqua corridor east of Glide, where many falls lie a short distance off the highway amid old-growth forest and columnar basalt. The upper Rogue River in Jackson County flows through lava tubes and narrow gorges, and Josephine County's falls lie in the older, more complex rock of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains. Klamath and Curry counties add falls at the southern end of the Cascades and in the coastal mountains. This region is less crowded than the Gorge and rewards longer road trips.
Start with: Clearwater Falls, Watson Falls, Whitehorse Falls, South Umpqua Falls, Klamath Falls
Coast Range
47 waterfalls · Tillamook County, Clatsop County, Lincoln County, Coos County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Polk County, Benton County, and Columbia County
The Coast Range receives some of the heaviest rainfall in the continental United States, and its streams fall off basalt and sandstone ledges through dense forests of Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and western hemlock. Drift Creek Falls in Lincoln County is viewed from a suspension bridge over a canyon, and Youngs River Falls in Clatsop County spills into a pool in a forested setting near Astoria. Tillamook State Forest holds falls such as Fern Rock Falls, and Coos County has its own cluster in the southern Coast Range. Coastal falls run strongest in winter and spring, when Pacific storms bring steady rain.
Start with: Drift Creek Falls, Youngs River Falls, Alsea Falls, Munson Creek Falls State Natural Site, Beaver Falls
