Hike #8 - Twofer-Elowah Falls and McDowell Creek Falls

On August 23^rd, Katrena and I headed out to Elowah Falls, one of the hidden gems in the Columbia River Gorge. The falls flow year round, but are best in the late winter and spring, like many others in the area. The cliffs on either side of the falls are flanked with the colorful yellow-green lichen found throughout the Columbia Gorge, adding a lot to the aesthetics of the scene. The falls are said to stand 289 feet tall; however, it turns out the USGS had sent a survey team to determine the height of the falls in 1916 - their efforts produced a height of 221 feet. The falls were measured again in 2009 and were found to be 213 feet tall, so the only way the height of 289 feet could have materialized is if Upper McCord Creek Falls were included (because we spent SO much time photographing Elowah Falls, we did not make it to McCord Falls; that will be another hike, another blog entry). Along the trail to both Elowah and Upper McCord Creek Falls can be seen several sections of old cast iron and wooden pipes which were used to flume pressurized water water to the Crown Willamette Paper Company mill along the Columbia River.

Elowah Falls is situated in John B. Yeon State Park towards the eastern end of what is perceived to be the "waterfalls area" along the historical highway detour of the Columbia River Gorge. This waterfall reminded me very much of Latourell Falls since they were both tall slender with a basalt cliff supporting them. Perhaps there were slight variations in their shape and dimensions, but I could totally see how I might get the two confused if I was presented a photo of one or the other.

It wasn't too bad of a walk to access Elowah Falls as it was about a mile each way (2 miles round trip). The first half-mile was all climbing as we rose above the level of the noisy I-84. There was a fork in the trail leading to Upper McCord Creek Falls (which we didn't do). Shortly beyond the fork, the trail crested as it turned into Elowah Canyon where it descended another half-mile over a few switchbacks to the base of the falls.

When the original Columbia River Gorge Highway was constructed, the road crossed McCord Creek at approximately the same place Interstate 84 does today, but the falls were completely visible at the time (they can't be seen from the highway now unless the trees are bare). At the time the falls were known as McCord Creek Falls, but in 1915 the Mazamas successfully had the falls renamed to Elowah.

How did I ever miss this place? I have lived in the mid-valley for more than 30 years, but until today I had never been to McDowell Creek Park. The park is a jewel. It has three waterfalls and several miles of scenic trails through a forest with an abundance of Douglas firs, cedars, and ferns that Melissa, Maria, Briana and discovered.

McDowell Creek Falls Park might not be the most well-known destination among waterfall hunters, but this quiet and beautiful destination 10 miles north of Sweet Home is a place with waterfalls and a quiet atmosphere. It is said that McDowell is like a miniature Silver Falls without the crowds and tourists.

It is an easy, 1.8-mile loop that winds through a mossy forest and across wooden bridges that provide endless opportunities for amateur photographers to channel their inner Ansel Adams. There is little doubt about it, Oregonians are spoiled rotten by waterfalls.

With the state’s most beautiful collection of cascades 40 minutes away at Silver Falls State Park, the Shellburg Falls area within a half hour’s drive and the Columbia River Gorge just outside Portland, there’s never a shortage of falling water to be found near the Mid-Valley. Yet even within these riches, new treasures always are lurking just around the corner. Such is the case with McDowell Creek Falls Park, an unassuming Linn County destination.

The trail starts just upstream of Lower McDowell Falls — the park’s least-impressive named falls — before heading to Royal Terrace Falls, a triple-decker cascade that drops a total of 119 feet. There’s a bridge across the bottom as well as a trail that leads to the top. As you head out on the trail you will cross a gravel road and climb uphill to 40-foot Majestic Falls. Perhaps the coolest aspect of this falls is the network of wooden bridges and stairs that allow people to view the waterfalls from a number of different angles — in the distance, up close, and above.

The entire route is almost finished too soon — an easy trail of less than two miles will do that — and before you know it, your car comes back into view.