Swift River Falls

Swift River Falls is located adjacent to Route 17 just over 13 miles north of the junction of Route 17 and US Highway 2 in the town of Mexico. The Coos Canyon Rest Area is prominently signed, and hard to miss. Vistas of the falls are afforded from fenced viewing areas all along the rim of the canyon immediately adjacent to the parking area.Swift River Falls is a small and fairly inconsequential waterfall, but one with quite a bit of character and visual interest that still merits a visit. The river here passes over an outcrop of rock pockmarked with numerous potholes and twisted rivulets that force the stream to split into two channels, each of which drops about 12 feet into various scoured bowls. A second 4-foot tumble occurs just downstream of the island which initially bifurcates the river. Below the falls is a good swimming hole, but as there are private homes adjacent to the river both upstream and down of the falls, it’s not clear whether swimming is copacetic. The Swift River is a fairly large stream, draining approximately 90 square miles of land upstream from the falls. The ample size of the basin will ensure a healthy volume of water in the falls throughout the year, though during the dry periods of the summer it will be reduced considerably from its spring freshet maximum.