Salt Creek Falls

Willamette National Forest / Oakridge, Oregon, USA

About Salt Creek Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Salt Creek Falls was definitely one of the more impressive waterfalls we’ve seen in the state of Oregon.

We could tell that it was very popular because it was so easily accessible in addition to its impressive height and flow.

Salt_Creek_Falls_066_07142016 - Salt Creek Falls
Salt Creek Falls

Each time that we’ve been to the Salt Creek Falls so far – once in late August 2009 and another time in mid-July 2016 – the falls flowed nicely.

This led me to conclude that the falls must have good flow all throughout the year.

To put some numbers behind our impressions of the Salt Creek Falls, it was said to have a plunge of around 286ft causing some to proclaim this to be Oregon’s second tallest waterfall.

While that claim can be disputable (unless you only count vertical drop waterfalls in the state), I tend to associate it with the kind of plunge waterfalls that we encountered in the Columbia River Gorge such as Latourell Falls and Elowah Falls among others.

Salt_Creek_Falls_028_07142016 - Looking downstream from the Salt Creek Falls towards the surrounding volcanic scenery, which provided clear evidence of how volcanism results in the formation of plunge waterfalls like this
Looking downstream from the Salt Creek Falls towards the surrounding volcanic scenery, which provided clear evidence of how volcanism results in the formation of plunge waterfalls like this

Perhaps the main reason for this association was the presence of basalt columns suggesting that the area was once filled by lava then covered in glaciers that sheared off the hard basalt layers exposing them to the elements.

Ultimately, the sheared basalt layers would have water flowing over them, and you end up with the tall plunge waterfalls like this one.

Experiencing Salt Creek Falls Overlooks

Visiting Salt Creek Falls was pretty much a breeze as there was a short walk leading from the well-signed and well-established parking area (see directions below) to cliff-top overlooks.

The overlooks offered us a vertigo-inducing top down view of the impressive drop of the falls as well as the nearly vertical gorge carved out by Salt Creek.

Salt_Creek_Falls_027_07142016 - Context of the high barricades and the Salt Creek Falls
Context of the high barricades and the Salt Creek Falls

The authorities seemed to have erected very tall railings to make it difficult for more careless people to climb the barricades and potentially plunge over the edge of these overlooks.

Unfortunately, such railings also made it a little tricky to take good photos of the Salt Creek Falls without the infrastructure getting in the way.

It didn’t take long to experience the falls and read the interpretive signs at the Salt Creek Falls overlooks, but we also observed that it was possible to hike to lower vantage points closer to the base of the waterfall.

Hiking to the lower views of the Salt Creek Falls

This trail resumed further away from the Salt Creek Falls alongside the end of the railings where the trail then meandered into a dry gully closer to Hwy 58 before turning back towards the open gorge.

Salt_Creek_Falls_045_07142016 - Mom on the trail leading deeper into the gorge carved out by Salt Creek
Mom on the trail leading deeper into the gorge carved out by Salt Creek

Further down the sloping trail, there were steps as well as more switchbacks eventually brought us to about the middle point of the overall descent.

Then, we encountered a warning sign saying that a rock slide had obliterated the remainder of the trail that would have led us all the way down to the base, and that continuing past the rock slide was not recommended.

So we were content to enjoy the more direct view of Salt Creek Falls from this rock slide area, and it allowed us to more closely examine the pronounced basalt cliffs flanking the waterfall and the trail.

In a way, it was almost like the repeating theme of fire and ice mixing together, which we had seen lots of examples of throughout the world, especially in Iceland.

Salt_Creek_Falls_052_07142016 - at the rock slide area looking up at the vertical basalt walls that supported the plunge of Salt Creek Falls
at the rock slide area looking up at the vertical basalt walls that supported the plunge of Salt Creek Falls

We did notice other people continue the steep scramble all the way down to the base of the waterfall, but from where we were standing, the rock slide portion looked quite steep.

So it was one of those risk-reward things where if getting all the way down there would be perceived to be worth it, then you might take the risk.

I’m sure people who have made it all the way down there would say it’s worth it, but steep scrambles like this (when we were already getting satisfactory views of the falls even up to this point) didn’t seem very necessary to us.

So we headed back.

Salt_Creek_Falls_056_08202009 - Context of Julie checking out the Salt Creek Falls from a lower vantage point near the rock slide area that obliterated the remainder of the trail leading to the very bottom of the gorge
Context of Julie checking out the Salt Creek Falls from a lower vantage point near the rock slide area that obliterated the remainder of the trail leading to the very bottom of the gorge

It took Mom and I about roughly 40 minutes to do this hike, but the difficulty rating at the top of this page didn’t reflect this part of the excursion since I felt this was a very optional way to experience Salt Creek Falls.

Authorities

Salt Creek Falls resides in the Willamette National Forest near Oakridge in Lane County, Oregon. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area 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: oakridge, willamette, national forest, lane, oregon, waterfall, diamond creek



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Salt Creek Falls March 20, 2023 8:36 pm by Philipp Merillat - Salt Creek Falls has a single drop height second only to Multnomah Falls in Oregon. For some better views of the falls among old growth forest, with columbine and mosses, hike about halfway down the trail that starts north of the top viewing area. Continue on this trail to the base of the falls, with… ...Read More

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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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