Best waterfalls in Oregon

No state does waterfalls like Oregon. The Columbia Gorge alone strings dozens of them along a single highway — Multnomah the crown jewel — and that’s before the Cascades, the Umpqua’s "Highway of Waterfalls," and the mossy Coast Range. Spring snowmelt is peak; bring a rain shell and chase the light through the trees.

Multnomah Falls620 ftShort walk · Bridal Veil · 0.2 miOregon’s tallest, with the iconic Benson Bridge between its two tiers.Watson Falls293 ftShort walk · Idleyld Park · 0.8 mione of Oregon’s tallest, on the Umpqua’s "Highway of Waterfalls".Salt Creek Falls286 ftShort walk · Oakridge · 0.3 miOregon’s second-tallest, a thundering plunge near Willamette Pass.Latourell Falls249 ftRoadside · Corbetta plunge over bright-yellow lichen-covered basalt in the Columbia Gorge.Proxy Falls226 ftModerate hike · McKenzie Bridge · 1.6 mia mossy veil over lava in the McKenzie Pass high country.Elowah Falls213 ftModerate hike · Warrendale · 1.6 mia tall, quiet plunge into a mossy amphitheater in the Columbia Gorge.South Falls (Silver Falls)177 ftShort walk · Sublimity · 0.8 miwalk behind the curtain on the Trail of Ten Falls.Tunnel Falls175 ftStrenuous hike · Cascade Locks · 12 miwalk through a tunnel carved behind the falls on the famous Eagle Creek Trail.Ramona Falls120 ftModerate hike · Zigzag · 7 mia wide lacy cascade over mossy basalt on the flank of Mount Hood.Toketee Falls113 ftShort walk · Idleyld Park · 0.8 mia perfect two-tier fall framed by columnar basalt on the North Umpqua.Sahalie Falls100 ftRoadside · McKenzie Bridgea thundering McKenzie River fall a few steps from the car.Tamanawas Falls100 ftModerate hike · Mount Hood · 3.6 mia broad curtain you can walk behind on the east side of Mount Hood.Abiqua Falls92 ftModerate hike · Scotts Mills · 1.6 mia perfect plunge ringed by a columnar-basalt amphitheater.Drift Creek Falls75 ftModerate hike · Lincoln City · 3 miviewed from a 240-foot suspension bridge in the Coast Range.Koosah Falls70 ftShort walk · McKenzie Bridge · 0.5 mia churning blue-green fall steps from its sibling Sahalie.Upper North Falls65 ftShort walk · Sublimity · 0.6 mia quieter member of Silver Falls’ Trail of Ten Falls.Wahclella Falls60 ftShort walk · Cascade Locks · 1.8 mia powerful two-tier fall on a short, beloved Gorge loop.Punch Bowl Falls35 ftModerate hike · Cascade Locks · 4 mione of the most photographed scenes in the Columbia Gorge.

Flows change with the season and recent rain — many falls roar at spring snowmelt and slow by late summer. Check conditions and any permit or reservation rules before you go.