Fall Creek Falls

Located within Diamond Peak Wilderness west of Willamette Pass, just off of Highway 58. The falls are accessed from the Salt Creek Falls day use area, located 21 miles east of Oakridge, or 5 miles west of Willamette Pass. The parking lot is well signed from the main road, and east bounders will undoubtedly see Salt Creek Falls through the trees before reaching the turnoff. The fastest way to reach the falls is to follow the Vivian Lake trail - which leads away from Salt Creek Canyon (rather than paralleling it) - after crossing Salt Creek on the footbridge. You'll cross a road after about 2/3 of a mile before reaching the same road again at 1 mile. From here, cross the road again and follow the trail to the left once you near Diamond Creek (following signs for Vivian Lake). The trail uses the road to cross Diamond Creek, and then heads left back into the woods. In another 500 feet, the trail climbs and crosses railroad tracks before re-entering the woods. At 1-½ miles you'll enter the Diamond Peak Wilderness area. Fill out a permit and proceed for another ¾ of a mile to the bottom tier - marked by a sign tacked to a tree. The falls can't be easily seen from the trail. Proceeding another ¼ mile up the much steeper trail reveals the upper tier, which is much easier to view. It's 2 ½ miles back to the trailhead from this point.Fall Creek Falls is the third of four major waterfalls in the vicinity of Salt Creek Falls worth visiting. Though a trail does pass next to the falls, the shape of the canyon, unfortunately, makes seeing the entire waterfall at once almost (if not) impossible. There are two major tiers to Fall Creek Falls. The first is an 80-foot veil, which shifts from a fan at the top to a narrow horsetail after changing directions by 90 degrees. About 100 feet downstream is the lower tier, a 50 foot plunge. Because of thick brush lining the canyon, viewing the lower tier is difficult but possible, though it is slow going and not something to be taken on if you are low on energy. The book A Waterfall Lover's Guide to the Pacific Northwest cites these two descents as separate waterfalls, calling them Fall Creek Falls and Upper Fall Creek Falls respectively. Additionally, a lower waterfall reportedly occurs about ½ mile downstream, but no waterfall can be seen from the trail in that area.