Duwee Falls

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA

About Duwee Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Duwee Falls was said to be Crater Lake National Park’s largest officially-named waterfall at a reported height of some 100ft or more.

The other two officially-named falls in the park that we’re aware of were Vidae Falls and Plaikni Falls (the latter we didn’t have the time to do).

Duwee_Falls_010_07152016 - Context of Duwee Falls and the rim of Mt Mazama in the distance
Context of Duwee Falls and the rim of Mt Mazama in the distance

Although it had a reported height of some 100ft or more, if true, its height was actually less than the reported height of Vidae Falls.

Nevertheless, this statistic alone (of being the largest in the park) would probably compel waterfall lovers like us to make a visit to the falls compulsory.

However, as you can see from the photo above, getting a good view of Duwee Falls was not easy.

We either had to be content with a very distant view (from about a mile away) from a roadside pullout (which is what’s shown above).

Duwee_Falls_telephoto_015_06282021 - Using a powerful telephoto lens to examine Duwee Falls more closely during our late June 2021 visit
Using a powerful telephoto lens to examine Duwee Falls more closely during our late June 2021 visit

Or, we’d have to risk life and limb to try to improve the very partial views of the falls from the Godfrey Glen Trail.

The difficulty rating shown at the top of this page reflects only the roadside view.

In fact, we’re tempted to not even mention the Godfrey Glen option though we’ll do so anyways just to more-or-less complete what we have to say about this falls.

Pyroclastic Flows and the creation of Duwee Falls

What made Duwee Falls rather interesting and unusual was that it appeared to have been a result of pyroclastic flows from the eruption of Mt Mazama some 7,700 years ago.

Duwee_Falls_004_07152016 - Zoomed in on just Duwee Falls as it was surrounded by ash cliffs
Zoomed in on just Duwee Falls as it was surrounded by ash cliffs

It could be the same event responsible for the creation of Crater Lake.

Pyroclastic flows are like a fast-moving landslide consisting of a mix of hot lava material, pumice, ash, and hot gases all barreling down the mountainsides and even into drainages.

Such flows typically occur at speeds of 100 miles per hour, and they often bury and burn everything in its path very quickly.

Perhaps the most famous pyroclastic flow event in the history of humankind was that of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius near Naples, Italy, which buryied the ancient city of Pompeii.

Pompeii_019_20130518 - A pyroclastic flow from the Mt Vesuvius eruption buried the Roman city of Pompeii, and it's now the best preserved exhibition of human civilization as a result of that moment when time was frozen and fossilized
A pyroclastic flow from the Mt Vesuvius eruption buried the Roman city of Pompeii, and it’s now the best preserved exhibition of human civilization as a result of that moment when time was frozen and fossilized

This resulted in one of the best preserved examples of ancient human civilization known to date.

When we viewed Duwee Falls, it struck us just how tall the ash cliffs resulting from the pyroclastic flows were.

That gave us a very clear indication of how being in the path of one of these things really meant you’d have literally no chance of survival and would probably be fossilized in the process.

In any case, seepage from Crater Lake emerging as Munson Creek further downslope would ultimately erode the valley that this pyroclastic flow once occupied.

Duwee_Falls_019_07152016 - The full context of Context of Duwee Falls and the giant layer of cliffs formed by pyroclastic flows cut forth by Munson Creek
The full context of Context of Duwee Falls and the giant layer of cliffs formed by pyroclastic flows cut forth by Munson Creek

Over time, the creek carved out the steep canyon responsible for Duwee Falls while also unveiling pinnacle formations in the wrinkly cliffs flanking this gorge.

This was all apparent from the roadside view that we’re advocating as the method to view the falls from afar (see directions below).

An interpretive sign at the roadside pullout further explained the events that unfolded to yield the eccentric geologic features on display here.

The Godfrey Glen Trail

To get a closer examination of the pinnacles and the pyroclastic ash cliffs, we actually hiked part of the Godfrey Glen Trail.

Godfrey_Glen_006_07152016 - Dad and Mom hiking on the Godfrey Glen Trail
Dad and Mom hiking on the Godfrey Glen Trail

That said, in hindsight, we wouldn’t recommend doing the trail if the sole purpose was to try to get a closer look at Duwee Falls.

It was far too dangerous and tempting to try to improve the view on the steep and unstable cliffs.

Nevertheless, if you are curious about catching a glimpse of Duwee Falls from the Godfrey Glen Trail, we managed to get a very partial view of it.

This occurred after hiking about 0.3 miles (according to our GPS logs) in a clockwise direction along the heart-shaped looping trail.

Godfrey_Glen_008_07152016 - Looking across the gorge from the brink of Duwee Falls towards the pyroclastic ash cliffs from the Godfrey Glen Trail
Looking across the gorge from the brink of Duwee Falls towards the pyroclastic ash cliffs from the Godfrey Glen Trail

It was very easy to miss viewing the falls from the trail because it sat deep within the ash gorge.

The only way to try to get satisfying views of it would be to make a real daring scramble further down into the gorge.

However, given the steepness and instability of the cliffs, we’d strongly recommend against doing that.

We certainly didn’t bother trying, and the photo you see above was our best effort from a relatively safe spot just off the Godfrey Glen Trail.

Godfrey_Glen_016_07152016 - Looking down at a very partial and unsatisfying view of the Duwee Falls from the Godfrey Glen Trail
Looking down at a very partial and unsatisfying view of the Duwee Falls from the Godfrey Glen Trail

That said, the Godfrey Glen Trail did allow us to examine the pyroclastic cliffs more closely as well as the ash blowing off the clifftops suggesting the erosion processes continue to this day.

Authorities

Duwee Falls resides in Crater Lake National Park near Medford or Klamath Falls in Klamath County, Oregon. It is administered by the National Park Service. For information or inquiries about the park as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: crater lake, national park, seepage, klamath, oregon, waterfall, medford, pyroclastic, mazama, godfrey glen



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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