Golden Falls

Beginning in downtown Coos Bay, follow Highway 101 south to the signed turn for Eastside, Coos River and Golden and Silver Falls State Park (Newport Avenue). Bear left here (straight, while Highway 101 bends to the right), and continue through Eastside onto Coos River Road, following signs toward the town of Allegany and the park - signs point the way at all major junctions. About 22.5 miles from Highway 101 is a large gravel turnaround area with a sign indicating parking for Golden and Silver Falls. This is overflow parking - you can continue along the road for another half-mile to a gate which blocks further progress toward the park. If parking is not available adjacent to the gate (do not block it), then return to the large parking area and walk the road from there. The park is found at the end of the road, 1.5 miles from the overflow parking area and about nine-tenths of a mile from the gate. From the old parking lot at the picnic area and outhouse, follow the trail indicated towards Golden Falls for another third of a mile. In order to obtain the best views, it is necessary to scramble up a steep path to the left of the creek and the large boulders below the falls - this scramble can be muddy and very slick during or after rain, so exercise necessary caution.Golden Falls is the cornerstone to the uncreatively named Golden and Silver Falls State Park, east of Coos Bay, and is among the largest and most powerful waterfalls found in the Coast Range of Oregon. Though Glenn Creek does exhibit a moderately seasonal behavior (as do many streams of comparable size in the area), in the winter and early spring months a considerable volume of water thunders over this impressive waterfall, first dropping into a narrow slot carved into the side of a lofty cliff, and then spouting outwards from the slot about halfway down the cliff face. The actual height of this waterfall had been in dispute for quite some time. Some sources - Greg Plumb's Waterfall Lover's Guide books among them - cited the falls as dropping around 120-150 feet in all, while others suggested a total drop of closer to 325 feet. We were able to finally measure the falls in May of 2016 to stand 254 feet tall, which makes it among the tallest waterfalls west of the Willamette River in Oregon. Considering our measurement proved the falls to be considerably taller than we had previously suspected, the estimate of 325 feet would certainly be reasonable if one were to include the cascades immediately below the falls as Glenn Creek tumbles over and under several massive boulders in the streambed (we do not consider this part of the falls). As of May of 2016, the road leading to Golden and Silver Falls State Park was damaged and was not drive-able to its end. It is not known whether the road will be repaired, and signs along the route suggest the closure may be permanent. The closed road adds as much as an additional 1.5 miles of easy walking to reach the falls, depending on where parking is available.Though the yellow-hued cliffs adjacent to the waterfall might imply otherwise, Golden Falls was actually named for one Dr. C.B. Golden, the first Grand Chancellor of the Oregon Knights of Pythias.