Willamette Falls
Willamette Falls is a waterfall in Oregon, at a modelled elevation of 16 m. Goat Mountain stands 1,282 m to the southeast, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is Steamer Gazelle explosion, a historic site 0.2 miles away. Vineyard and Valley passes 11 miles off. 59 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall in the northwestern United States, located on the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon. The largest waterfall in the Northwest U.S. by volume, it is the seventeenth widest in the world. Horseshoe in shape, it is 1,500 feet (455 m) wide and forty feet (12 m) high, with a flow rate of 30,850 cu ft/s (874 m3/s). Located 26 miles (42 km) upriver from the Willamette's mouth at Portland, Willamette Falls is a culturally significant site for many tribal communities in the region. Opened in 1873 and closed since 2011, the Willamette Falls Locks allowed boat traffic on the Willamette to pass into the main Willamette Valley.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q8003290, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 12 m
How to reach it
- 10.9 mi off the Vineyard and Valley
- 14.2 mi off the Mount Hood, National
- 14.7 mi off the West Cascades, National
- 16.5 mi off the Historic Columbia River, National
Overlooks nearby
- Jonsrud Viewpoint · 17 mi
- Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint · 22 mi
- Crown point · 22 mi
- Windblown Fir Viewpoint · 25 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Steamer Gazelle explosion: 0.2 mi
- Blue Star Memorial Highway: 0.3 mi
- Blue Star Memorial Highway: 0.3 mi
- West Linn Public Water Trough Memorial: 0.5 mi
- S.P.R.R. Undercrossing: 0.6 mi
- Dr. John McLoughlin: 0.3 mi
- Giant Horse Statue: 1.0 mi
- The Gathering: 1.2 mi
- Epiphany: 3.7 mi
- In the Flow: 3.9 mi
- McLoughlin Promenade: 0.3 mi
- Canemah Children's Park: 0.5 mi
- Waterboard Park: 0.6 mi
- Sunset Park: 0.6 mi
- McLoughlin Promenade Park: 0.7 mi
- Camassia Natural Area: 0.7 mi
- Canemah Bluff Nature Park: 1.0 mi
- Wilderness Park: 1.0 mi
- Madrona Open Space: 1.2 mi
- Sahallie Illahee Park: 1.4 mi
- Tateshina Peace Garden: 0.7 mi
- Veiled Garden: 1.2 mi
- Memorial Grove: 1.6 mi
- Greenfingers Community Garden: 2.8 mi
- Courtyard garden: 2.9 mi
- The Pow Wow Tree: 2.1 mi
- Bob's Red Mill - World Headquarters: 5.3 mi
- The Spider: 8.6 mi
- Adrenaline Peak: 8.6 mi
- Disk'O: 8.6 mi
- Oatfield Hill: 4.4 mi
- Cooks Butte: 4.9 mi
- Iron Mountain: 6.0 mi
- Mount Talbert: 6.2 mi
- Spangler Hill: 7.0 mi
- Museum of the Oregon Territory: 0.3 mi
- Old Lockmaster's Office: 0.4 mi
- Stevens-Crawford Heritage House: 0.8 mi
- Ermatinger House: 0.8 mi
- McLoughlin House: 0.8 mi
- Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation: 0.5 mi
- Stonesthrow Picnic and BBQ Area: 6.4 mi
- Memorial Park Picnic Area 2: 7.7 mi
- Memorial Park Picnic Area 3: 7.8 mi
- Memorial Park Picnic Area 1: 7.9 mi
- Coffee Creek Falls: 0.5 mi
- Singer Falls: 0.8 mi
- Tumble Creek Falls: 2.1 mi
- Hidden Falls: 7.5 mi
- Knapp Falls: 8.7 mi
- Phantom Bluff: 5.5 mi
- Madrone Wall: 8.3 mi
- Schwingus - Rocky Butte Quarry: 13.9 mi
- Rocky Butte Quarry: 14.0 mi
- Rocky Butte Quarry: 14.1 mi
- Poet's Beach: 11.0 mi
- Lindbergh’s Beach: 14.5 mi
- Swim beach: 16.3 mi
- Sandy River Beach: 17.5 mi
- North Beach: 17.6 mi
- spring w/concrete cover: 11.1 mi
- Giesy Spring: 11.8 mi
- Oliver Spring: 16.2 mi
- School District Spring: 22.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Willamette Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goat Mountain | SE 134° | 1,282 m | 21.8 mi |
| Bedford Point | ESE 113° | 714 m | 23.3 mi |
| Pepper Mountain | ENE 60° | 655 m | 24.8 mi |
| Lenhart Butte | E 90° | 638 m | 22.0 mi |
| High Hill | S 173° | 568 m | 23.2 mi |
| Bald Peak | W 278° | 497 m | 21.4 mi |
| Highland Butte | SE 132° | 470 m | 11.7 mi |
| Ross Mountain | ENE 58° | 396 m | 22.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:14 | 18:44 | 19:23 |
| June solstice | 05:23 | 20:17 | 21:03 |
| September equinox | 06:58 | 18:31 | 19:10 |
| December solstice | 07:48 | 15:42 | 16:31 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 43 | 45 | 49 | 53 | 60 | 65 | 71 | 71 | 65 | 56 | 47 | 42 |
| Precip in | 6.5 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 6.7 | 7.2 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Oregon City, under a mile away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Dec–Apr — fullest in Jan, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 3,899 | 3,515 | 2,749 | 1,657 | 718 | 331 | 147 | 108 | 141 | 253 | 1,147 | 3,090 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Tualatin River AT West Linn, OR, 3 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2466953968
Day trips start here
- Oregon City · 1 mi
- Gladstone · 2 mi
- Lake Oswego · 5 mi
- Milwaukie · 7 mi
- Wilsonville · 8 mi
- Tigard · 9 mi
Take the scenic way to Willamette Falls.
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