Punchbowl Canyon Falls

Located in the Sweet Creek Falls trail complex, south of Mapleton, in the Siuslaw National Forest. From Mapleton, follow Highway 126 east, across the Siuslaw River, and turn right onto Sweet Creek Road. Drive 11 miles along the Sweet Creek Road to the Homestead (Sweet Creek) Trailhead. Follow the Sweet Creek trail for 1/4 mile to the catwalks and stairs which climb up along side this waterfall.Punchbowl Canyon Falls is a series of pothole waterfalls and cascades along a stretch of Sweet Creek known simply as The Canyon Section. When viewed from the trail downstream, the falls appear quite imposing. Unfortunately, due to the orientation of the trail and falls, it's near impossible to view the entire falls at once. The falls drop about 35 feet over a run of about 150 feet, with no individual drop being over 10 feet tall. During low water, it's possible to climb out into the canyon to view different sections of the falls at a more head on perspective. One such section near the top of the falls is perhaps the most scenic along the whole trail (but again, is difficult to photograph unless the creek is running low).This series of waterfalls has never been officially named, but William Sullivan has referred to this stretch of Sweet Creek as "the Punchbowl Canyon section" in his 100 Hikes series.