Linton Falls

Linton Falls is a subtantial two-tiered waterfall found along Cedar Creek where it drops over a large basaltic cliff which runs for over 4 miles in a nearly unbroken line south of Chelatchie Prairie. The falls have been measured to drop 155 feet in two steps, with the largest and primary tier falling a sheer 108 feet alone. Linton Falls is located on private timberland now owned by Weyerhaeuser and though public access is allowed it now requires a recreation permit be to purchased. There is no developed access to the waterfall however.Linton Falls was a huge mystery for the longest time, the only evidence of its existence was a low resolution image of an old post card which has cropped up on eBay from time to time, captioned simply "Linton Falls, Clark Co, Wash, near Yacolt". No other images of the falls, or mentions of the falls in writing had ever been uncovered. Because the one reference image was fairly poor quality, it was difficult to make an assessment of whether the falls was now known by a different name, but as it somewhat resembled Hidden Falls on Coyote Creek, on the west side of Silver Star Mountain, that was the immediate assumption.

However, a map of Clark County dating back to 1888 found in the online archives of the Library of Congress finally put the mystery to rest. The map clearly marked "Linton Falls, 300 feet" at the northeastern tip of Clark County, due west of the town of Amboy. This position correlated exactly to the location of a known 155 foot tall, two-tiered falls on Cedar Creek, and lo-and-behold, the image of the old post card matches up flawlessly upon closer examination - why this comparison never clicked in the past is hard to say; it's pretty obvious in hindsight.

As for the name of the falls, it dates back to at least 1888, but for whom it was named is not known. The Clark County map which marked the falls also lists the names of homesteaders in the area, but at cursory glance none seemed to be named Linton, so the name likely originates as an homage to a friend or relative of someone who either lived in or visited the area. Because it wasn't known that this waterfall was in fact Linton Falls, it has generally been referred to in the modern day as Cedar Creek Falls, or Cedar Falls.