Salmon Falls

There are two ways to reach the falls. For those of you coming from the east along SR 14, watch for Salmon Falls Road, which branches off of SR 14 about 10 miles west of the Bridge of the Gods or 3 miles east of the Cape Horn viewpoint. Drive 3 miles along Salmon Falls road to the bridge across the Washougal River, where Salmon Falls can be seen just upstream. Coming from the west, the easiest way to reach the falls is as follows. In Washougal, approximately 9 miles east of Interstate 205, turn north onto SR 140. After about 10 miles, 140 becomes the Washougal River road. Continue for approximately 2 miles to where Salmon Falls road intersects the Washougal River Road on the right, with the bridge and falls immediately to the right side of the road.With so many standout waterfalls both large and small not graced with an official title around the Northwest (and the world for that matter), I can't help but wonder why something like Salmon Falls, a scant fall of 7 feet - if that - has been recognized such that not only does the feature bear a name, but a road has been named after the fall. Salmon Falls is, to put it gently, uninspiring. The Washougal pinches between a cliff and an abutment of a fish ladder and slides quietly into a long, deep, narrow gorge. The falls are said to have once been the historical barrier to anadromous fish migration, but I have a hard time believing such a small drop would impede. The book Romance of Waterfalls by Bloom and Cohen states this fall drops 30 feet - a gross exaggeration. Unless you're a die hard waterfall hunter, I wouldn't suggest taking time to stop here, there are much better waterfalls a few miles up the river.