Willamette Falls

There are several views of the falls available. Directions to 3 are given here. To reach all the viewpoints, drive along Interstate 205 to Oregon City / West Linn, about 15 miles south of Portland International Airport. 1 - Driving north along I-205, north bounders can get off at Exit 7 to stop at a scenic wayside, providing views down at the falls (north bound traffic only - seen above). 2 - Exit I-205 at the West Linn exit (Exit 8) and drive across the Oregon City Bridge. Distant views are had from the bridge. 3 - Proceed past the bridge views, and turn right on SR 99E for 1.2 miles to a signed viewpoint at the falls.Willamette Falls is the largest waterfall by volume in the Northwest, dropping 42 feet over a horseshoe-shaped ledge with a crest length of approximately 1,500 feet. Prior to the development of the Oregon City area, it is though the falls may have spanned as much as 2,500 feet across. Due to the industrialization of Oregon City, the falls have lost most of its natural appeal. The land on both sides of the river immediately adjacent to the falls harbors, among other facilities, a hydroelectric station, a paper mill and one of the oldest set of operational locks in the United States. An effort is currently under way by the municipality of Oregon City and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to restore much of the now defunct industrial areas around Willamette Falls. Work will begin in 2020 to break ground on the Willamette Falls Riverwalk, which will provide up close views of the falls to the public for the first time in well over a century.
The Willamette River is one of the largest rivers in the Pacific Northwest, draining a basin of over 10,000 square miles. The natural average monthly volume of the river at the falls varies from just under 60,000 cubic feet per second in December and January to about 7,000 cubic feet per second in August, and during flood stage the river frequently will exceed 100,000 cubic feet per second. This makes Willamette Falls not only one of the widest waterfalls in the United States, but also one of the most voluminous. A portion of the river is diverted through a hydroelectric station, as well as a fish ladder, and prior to 2011 through the adjacent Locks which have since been permanently closed. The fish ladders account for a diversion of approximately 1,000 cubic feet per second, and the hydroelectric system diverts perhaps 5,500 cubic feet per second (the exact capacity is not known). This results in the volume of water flowing over the actual falls varying from approximately 52,000 cubic feet per second in December and January, and averaging about 32,000 cubic feet per second between November and May, down to about 1,200 cubic feet per second in August.According to Oregon Geographic Names, the Willamette River was named for an Indian settlement somewhere in the vicinity of Oregon City known as "Wal-lamt", which may have meant "spill water", a reference to the falls. The falls were named for the river in the modern day. Oregon City was founded in 1845 on the banks of the falls, the paper mill opening in 1867. The city was originally known as Willamette or Willamette Falls.