Sahalie Falls

From the junction of Highways 20 and 126 (approximately 70 miles east of I-5 in Albany via Highway 20, or 85 miles east of I-5 in Salem via Highway 22), follow Highway 126 south for about 4-1/2 miles to the signed parking area for Sahalie Falls. The viewpoint for the falls is encountered an easy 200 feet along the paved trail from the parking area.Sahalie Falls is the first of the three major waterfalls along Oregon's McKenzie River near Santiam Pass and Clear Lake. The falls plunge a sheer 73 feet over an overhanging exposure of basalt into a huge basin which captures the mist ejected from the falls and turns it into a hurricane directed straight at the viewpoints for the falls just downstream. During periods of heavier flow the falls split into two segments, but as the year progresses and the winter's snow melt has run off the volume of water in the river drops enough to allow the smaller segment to dry out. The height of Sahalie Falls had not been entirely well established in the past. Some accounts cited a drop of 140 feet, while a handful of extreme kayakers who first paddled over the falls in the mid-2000s measured it at 68 feet. Our repeated surveys have consistently shown a height of 73-75 feet, depending on the river level at the top of the falls. Even though the McKenzie River originates in Clear Lake just a few miles upstream from the falls, the river maintains consistent heavy flow all year long thanks to the large aquafir and network of springs which feed into the basin from the large volcanic plateaus on either side of Clear Lake - an area covering upwards of 90 square miles. The outflow of Clear Lake averages between 300 and 560 cubic feet per second throughout the year, regardless of the depth of the winter snow pack. Sahalie Falls has been featured in film in the Disney movie Homeward Bound.Sahalie Falls was originally known as Upper Falls before the Clear Lake area was developed for recreation. Sahalie is a Chinook Jargon word meaning "high". This naming might be questionable (though no less legitimate) because it isn't quite so tall when taken in the context of many of Oregon's other waterfalls.