Recommendations needed for "must visit" Waterfalls!

[Skarxun]

Hello all,

As a resident of Massachusetts, I am only able to travel out to the Portland area about once each year for a week at a time. As a waterfall fanatic and photographer, I have spent most of my trips in the Columbia River Gorge since the waterfall to driving ratio is unbeatable. However, given that my trip in two weeks marks my fifth venture out west, I think it is time to explore the regions of central Oregon and Southern Washington.

This is where I need some assistance, because there are many many more waterfalls to visit in these areas, but not enough time to visit them all. Hence, I would like to plan my day trips around those waterfalls that one just MUST see if in the area. I've spent hours and hours on http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/nws/ and in the Off-Trail Hikes section of these forums for the past several years to increase my knowledge of the area, but in the end, I'm having trouble deciding on which waterfalls to make the focus on my week long adventure.

Here are some of the aspects I look for in a good waterfall:

-Not crowded / touristy: While waterfalls are generally popular and often visited for good reason, I always have felt like crowds of people, neatly paved paths, and hazard warning signs posted on every tree detract from the experience a bit--so the touristy places do not interest me much.

-Waterfalls that are challenging to get to: Nothing beats the feeling of seeing falling water through the trees after a lengthy and tiring bushwhack filled with constant thoughts of "What am I thinking?!" I like a challenge. I am not an expert in bushwhacking, so anything that would require more than a sturdy pair of boots and an agile climbing body is beyond my abilities.

Photogenic / Interactive: I like it when I can shoot a waterfall from a variety of angles and not be restricted to a viewing platform with a sea of branches obstructing the view. I like waterfalls like Elowah Falls or Panther Creek Falls that allow for many different angles to photograph from.

Already on my list for must-visit waterfalls are:
Proxy Falls / Linton Falls
and
Walupt Creek Falls

But otherwise, I'm still debating between many more choices and, really, I value your experiences and expertise over my judgement from looking at images online. So any suggestions you have would be fantastic! Last time I went out, I was urged to go to Falls Creek Falls in Washington, and for those of you have been there, you'll understand why I return to seek more recommendations.

Thank you very much!
-Skarxun

Some pictures of past trips:

Metlako from the top of Sorenson Creek Falls:



Panther Creek Falls:



Elowah Falls:

[justpeachy]

I have two recommendations for you.

Little Niagara Falls (Gifford Pinchot National Forest)

This is a lovely waterfall that is very close to a road, but requires a steep scramble down a hillside, then a wade up the creek. So it should fit your bushwhacking requirement nicely. Here is the thread where I posted about our adventure getting there.




Lower Ruckel Creek Falls (Columbia River Gorge)

This one is reached by hiking up the Ruckel Creek Trail and then scrambling down to the creek. There are several old threads on the site that describe the details of getting there, but you'll have to do some poking around to find them. I think they're from several years ago.





Have fun!

[Peder]

The Silver Falls Loop Hike is popular and easy to access, you get about 10 beautiful falls in a seven mile hike. Mist Falls, just west of the Multnomah Lodge is cool to visit. I also enjoy the Pup Creek falls along the Clackamas River.

[BrianEdwards]

As Far as Oregon goes, we've got a lot of nice ones. Washington State to the north kicks our butt though. Oregon has no sales tax, so traveling here is alot cheaper! I'll give ya some of my experiences within Oregon.

Easiest:

A short day driving the Columbia River Scenic highway from Crown Point to Dodson will net you many very big / nice falls right off the road. If you've already done Eagle Creek, then check out Wahclella Falls if you can, photos dont do it justice. Starvation Creek Falls is right off I-84, and then there's Cabin Creek Falls, Hole in the wall, and Landcaster a short jaunt away from the parking lot. Others like Harrison, Lyndsey, Summit, etc are nearby.

In your travels, swing through Oregon City on 99e and look down at Willamette Falls, one of the biggest waterfalls by volume in the world.

Abiqua Falls, Butte Creek Falls, Silver Falls State Park, make another good day

Further away from PDX:

If you're at Proxy, hit up Sahalie and Koosah Falls, If you have time, check out the amazing Tamolitch Pool/Falls.

Much Further South:

Further south, there's the Umpqua River Corridor with Tokeete, Warm Springs, Watson, Lemolo, Clearwater, etc. My favorite Falls in the state is Shadow Falls just to the south over the divide, which you can cross in a car (done it). Towards Shadow Falls is Grotto Falls, which is just a short drive off the divide road (NF 4714). Wolf Creek Falls is a good tall one too in the spring. Most of these falls are very near a road, and fairly easy to find with good planning.

Here's some from the Southern Corridor I mentioned:
http://portlandhikersfieldguide.org/ph/ ... f=8&t=8443

Another place thats packed with big photogenic waterfalls is the Coast Range Near Coos Bay. Golden Falls, Silver Falls, Coquille, Elk Creek, there's a ton packed in a relatively small area that are all very big and relatively accessible.

[airoff]

Depending when you visit, you might think about a trip to Rattlesnake Falls (NE of Husum, WA) and Spirit Falls (above Drano Lake on the Little White Salmon). You could hit both on the same trip; however, Rattlesnake probably doesn't flow much past May.

I'm not the biggest waterfall hound, but I find Rattlesnake Falls to be among the most beautiful falls I've seen in the area. I haven't yet scrambled down to Spirit Falls, but there are a few trip reports if you search the archive (same for Rattlesnake Falls).

Wherever you decide to go, enjoy!

[greglief]

First, I echo justpeachy's recommendations, especially Little Niagara Falls. That one is beyond sublime, and completely secluded. Put that one high on your list.

I am glad to see that Proxy and Linton are already on your list. Try to go on a cloudy day to maximize your options, and plan on spending a LOT of time at Proxy... there are many different vantage points. (Also, bring more lens paper than you think you will need!)
Others worthy of your time and consideration, in no particular order:



Upper Bridal Veil Falls




Abiqua Falls




Oneonta Falls




Sweeney Falls




Spirit Falls




Lindsey Creek Falls




Camp Benson Falls


The latter two can be done in the same trip.

Have fun and be safe!

Greg Lief
LiefPhotos.com
PBase.com/GregLief

[Skarxun]

Oh wow! Great stuff so far!

Some more information:
I'll be there April 15-22
I'll be staying south of Portland and also up in Seattle for a few nights.
All I'll be doing is waterfall photography (And making a small documentary to help people understand why I'd go on a trip just to see waterfalls)

To justpeachy:
Little Niagara Falls was definitely one that caught my eye, namely from the picture that you just posted (I've seen it elsewhere). I've heard it's a bit of a steep adventure to the falls, but the recommendation lets me certainly keep it on the list. Depending on time, I was planning to hike Ruckel Creek or at least get to the lower falls, so I'm glad these two were recommended. Definitely have to check them out.


To Peder:
Silver Falls seems like a great place with abundant waterfalls. How crowded would you say it is? I know it's a popular place, but I wonder how busy it is during the week...

To BrianEdwards:
I've pretty much been to every major waterfall in the gorge, with the exception of those that are notoriously difficult to access, but nice recommendations. Wahclella Falls has some of my favorite surrounding terrain!



Abiqua Falls is another that is on my radar that I have been considering. I've heard the drive there is pretty bumpy--how bad would you say it is? If it's a matter of driving slowly, that's fine, but if there are large obstacles to navigate, that is frightening.

And yes, I had my eye on Koosah and Sahalie on the Proxy / Linton falls day, glad to hear you recommending it.


To airoff:
Rattlesnake Falls looks awesome! It reminds me just a slight bit of Palouse Falls, which is one of my favorite falls in Washington--should see if I can get there!

To Greglief:
Glad to see you respond--you've given me trip advise in the past before when I've headed out west.

Even though I am going to try to break away from the gorge, you've managed to recommend (pretty much) the three major gorge waterfalls on the Oregon side that I have not had a chance to visit--which probably means I'll be spending a day in the gorge I was always iffy about going to Lindsey Creek and Camp Benson, but given that you recommended them and I have yet to see them, I think it'd be worth trying out. I tried to get to Upper Bridal Veil last time I was there, but just couldn't find the correct spot to wander off that dirt road to get to it--so I've been meaning to get back there this time around.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations so far, this is really helping me narrow my focus and be able to better plan day trips.

Keep 'em coming!
-Skarxun

[pdxgene]

If you go to Silver Falls on a weekday, and you get there at or near when they open, you will generally have the place to yourself for at least a couple hours or enough time to cover the distance from South Falls to North Falls before you see more than a couple people, if any. You will also get much better light. As the morning goes on the sunlight makes it into the canyon and you have to deal with a lot more sun/shade situations. And then on the way back in the spots where the sunlight enhances the scene you'll get another shot at it. I'd do it as an out and back and skip Winter Falls and that part of the loop.

[BrianEdwards]

Well it's probably past your bed time now on the east coast but I've got an idea, make a list of the falls you've been to already, and also your proposed itinerary (sleeping accommodations, transportation, what part of the state are ya thinking of, etc) then we'll scrap together some ideas. We can try to help ya make the most efficient use of your time while you're here

[forester]

Quick hits on some of the others mentioned:

- Which Linton Falls? There's Lower Linton, then the next one is either referred to as Upper Linton or just Linton. But, there's a monster above that one...hard to get a good view of and hard to get to, but it's huge and powerful.

- If you make it down to 138, Toketee is a must. If you're adventurous, taking the goat path down to the river is mandatory. I was just down there Friday and it is unbelievable from the bottom. Care needs to be taken on the path down, though. Viewing it from the platform doesn't do much for me. (There's also a small cave under the platform.)

- Was White River Falls mentioned? Or National Falls? (Haven't been to either, but both are on my list.)