Little Niagara Falls (Oregon)

Last updated
Little Niagara Falls
Location Salmon–Huckleberry Wilderness
Coordinates 45°14′38″N121°53′41″W / 45.24381°N 121.89473°W / 45.24381; -121.89473 Coordinates: 45°14′38″N121°53′41″W / 45.24381°N 121.89473°W / 45.24381; -121.89473 [1]
Type Cascade
Elevation 2,146 ft (654 m) [1] [2]
Total height unconfirmed [2]

Little Niagara Falls, is a waterfall located on the Salmon River at the south skirt of the Mount Hood National Forest, in Clackamas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area where the river creates several waterfalls: Final Falls, Vanishing Falls, Frustration Falls, and Copper Creek Falls are within a mile from Little Niagara Falls; while Hideaway Falls, Split Falls, and Stein Falls are approximately two miles away.

Waterfall Place where water flows over a vertical drop in the course of a river

A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.

Salmon River (Clackamas County, Oregon) river in Oregons Cascade Range

The Salmon River is a 33.5-mile (53.9 km) river in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon that drains part of southwestern Mount Hood. The entire length of the river is a protected National Wild and Scenic River. Several portions are in protected wilderness. It is affluent to the Sandy River, a tributary of the Columbia River.

Mount Hood National Forest United States national forest in Oregon

The Mount Hood National Forest is 62 miles (100 km) east of the city of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than 60 miles (97 km) of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mount Jefferson. The Forest includes and is named after Mount Hood, a stratovolcano. The Forest encompasses some 1,067,043 acres (4,318.17 km2). Forest headquarters are located in Sandy, Oregon. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 345,300 acres (139,700 ha). The Forest is divided into four separate districts - Barlow, Clackamas River (Estacada), Hood River, and Zigzag (Zigzag).

Contents

The cascade and its river trail are surrounded by forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock, red cedar, bigleaf maple, red alder and black cottonwood trees. [3]

Douglas fir species of tree

Pseudotsuga menziesii is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is known as Douglas fir, Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are two varieties: coast Douglas-fir, and Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir.

<i>Tsuga heterophylla</i> species of plant

Tsuga heterophylla, the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.

<i>Juniperus virginiana</i> species of plant

Juniperus virginiana, known as red cedar, eastern redcedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, pencil cedar, and aromatic cedar, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and east of the Great Plains. Further west it is replaced by the related Juniperus scopulorum and to the southwest by Juniperus ashei.

Access

Hiking to Little Niagara Falls starts at a trailhead that runs south along Salmon River starting in the town of Welches on U.S. Route 26 as it goes through Mount Hood National Forest. The trail is approximately 10 mi (16 km) long and requires skill, visitors should always follow rules of safe waterfall hiking when visiting Little Niagara Falls.

Trailhead the point at which a trail begins

A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain rest rooms, maps, sign posts and distribution centers for informational brochures about the trail and its features, and parking areas for vehicles and trailers.

Welches, Oregon Unincorporated community in Oregon, United States

Welches is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor between Zigzag and Wemme along U.S. Route 26. It is one of the communities that make up the Villages at Mount Hood.

U.S. Route 26 in Oregon highway in Oregon

U.S. Route 26 (US-26) is a major cross-state United States highway with its western terminus in the U.S. state of Oregon, connecting U.S. Route 101 on the Oregon Coast near Seaside with the Idaho state line east of Nyssa. Local highway names include the Sunset Highway No. 47, Mount Hood Highway No. 26, and John Day Highway No. 5 before continuing into Idaho and beyond.

See also

Related Research Articles

Sandy River (Oregon) tributary of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon in the United States

The Sandy River is a 56-mile (90 km) tributary of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon in the United States. The Sandy joins the Columbia about 14 miles (23 km) upstream of Portland.

Clackamas River tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon

The Clackamas River is an approximately 83-mile (134 km) tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. Draining an area of about 940 square miles (2,435 km2), the Clackamas flows through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, and passes agricultural and urban areas in its lower third. The river rises in eastern Marion County, about 55 miles (89 km) east-southeast of Salem. The headwaters are on the slopes of Olallie Butte in the Mount Hood National Forest, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Mount Jefferson, at an elevation of 4,909 feet (1,496 m) in the Cascade Range. The Clackamas flows briefly north and then flows northwest through the mountains, passing through North Fork Reservoir and Estacada. It then emerges from the mountains southeast of Portland. It joins the Willamette near Oregon City and forms the boundary between Oregon City and Gladstone.

Lolo Pass (Oregon)

Lolo Pass is a mountain pass 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Mount Hood and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Zigzag, Oregon, on the Clackamas–Hood River county line. It divides the Sandy River watershed on the southwest from the Hood River watershed on the northeast.

Barlow Road historic road in Oregon

The Barlow Road is a historic road in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. It was built in 1846 by Sam Barlow and Philip Foster, with authorization of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon, and served as the last overland segment of the Oregon Trail. Its construction allowed covered wagons to cross the Cascade Range and reach the Willamette Valley, which had previously been nearly impossible. Even so, it was by far the most harrowing 100 miles (160 km) of the nearly 2,000-mile (3,200 km) Oregon Trail.

Salmon–Huckleberry Wilderness

The Salmon–Huckleberry Wilderness is a wilderness area located on the southern side of Mount Hood in the northwestern Cascades of Oregon, in the United States. It lies within the Mount Hood National Forest and comprises 62,061 acres (25,115 ha) of land. The United States Congress designated the area Wilderness in 1984.

Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness

The Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness is a wilderness area located on the northern side of Mount Hood in the northwestern Cascades of the U.S. state of Oregon, near the Columbia River Gorge and within Mount Hood National Forest. Prior to Wilderness designation it was known as the Columbia Gorge Recreation Area.

Salt Creek Falls waterfall

Salt Creek Falls is a cascade and plunge waterfall on Salt Creek, a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River, that plunges into a gaping canyon near Willamette Pass in the Willamette National Forest, near Oakridge, Oregon. The waterfall is notable for its main drop of 286 feet (87 m) which makes it the third highest plunge waterfall in Oregon after Multnomah Falls and Watson Falls the second highest, which was re-measured in 2009 and found to be 293 feet rather than an earlier measurement of 272 feet passing Salt Creek Falls. The pool at the bottom of the waterfall is 20 metres (66 ft) deep.

South Fork Clackamas River river in the United States of America

The South Fork Clackamas River is a tributary, roughly 8 miles (13 km) long, of the Clackamas River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning near South Fork Mountain in the western Cascade Range, the river flows generally north through Clackamas County to meet the larger river at Big Cliff. Most of the South Fork's drainage basin lies within the Mount Hood National Forest.

Clackamas Wilderness

The Clackamas Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Mount Hood National Forest in the northwestern Cascades of Oregon, United States. Created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, it consists of 9,470 acres (3,830 ha). The wilderness is made up of five different tracts of lands with no roads on a 50-mile (80 km) stretch on both sides of the Clackamas River. These areas include Big Bottom, Memaloose Lake, Clackamas Canyon, Sisi Butte and South Fork Clackamas. It has some of the biggest trees in northwest Oregon. Memaloose Lake is a very popular hiking trail that leads through a forest to the lake, and then continues a mile up to a viewpoint on to up South Fork Mountain.

West Fork Salmon River (Clackamas County, Oregon) river in the United States of America

The West Fork Salmon River is a tributary of the Salmon River in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning near Timberline Lodge at the base of Mount Hood in the Cascade Range, it flows generally south to meet the main stem Salmon near Red Top Meadow, slightly south of the intersection of U.S. Route 26 and Oregon Route 35. The entire course of the river, which has no named tributaries, lies within the Mount Hood National Forest.

Frustration Falls

Frustration Falls, is a three drop waterfall located on the Salmon River at the south skirt of the Mount Hood National Forest, in Clackamas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area where the river creates several waterfalls: Final Falls, Vanishing Falls, Little Niagara Falls, and Copper Creek Falls are within a mile from Frustration Falls; while Hideaway Falls, Split Falls, and Stein Falls are approximately two miles away.

Final Falls, is a waterfall located on the Salmon River at the south skirt of the Mount Hood National Forest, in Clackamas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area where the river creates several waterfalls: Frustration Falls, Vanishing Falls, Little Niagara Falls, and Copper Creek Falls are within a mile from Final Falls; while Hideaway Falls, Split Falls, and Stein Falls are approximately two miles away.

Vanishing Falls, is a waterfall located on the Salmon River at the south skirt of the Mount Hood National Forest, in Clackamas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area where the river creates several waterfalls: Final Falls, Frustration Falls, Little Niagara Falls, and Copper Creek Falls are within a mile from Vanishing Falls; while Hideaway Falls, Split Falls, and Stein Falls are approximately two miles away.

Starvation Creek Falls

Starvation Creek Falls, is a two tier waterfall located in the Starvation Creek State Park at the north skirt of the Columbia River Gorge, in Hood River County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area along the Historic Columbia River Highway, where four waterfalls are located in the Starvation Creek State Park: Cabin Creek Falls, Hole In the Wall Falls, Lancaster Falls, and Starvation Creek Falls—all within 2 miles from each other.

Upper Butte Creek Falls

Upper Butte Creek Falls, is a waterfall located in the south edge of the Table Rock Wilderness at the east end of the city of Salem, in Marion County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area on the east foothills of Drake Crossing. Several prominent rivers and waterfalls are located in the Butte Creek Falls trail system.

Fall Creek Falls (Douglas County, Oregon)

Fall Creek Falls, is a three to four drop waterfall located on the North Umpqua River at the west skirt of the Umpqua National Forest, in Douglas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged natural area where the river creates several waterfalls: Susan Creek Falls, Emile Falls, and Grotto Falls are two to five miles away.

Yocum Falls, is a waterfall located in the heart of the Mount Hood National Forest, in Clackamas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area in Zigzag canyon with several waterfalls including Little Zigzag Falls and Ramona Falls. The name, as well as Yocum Ridge, the south ridge of the Sandy Glacier on the west slope of Mount Hood, comes from businessman Oliver C. Yocum.

Eagle Creek Upper Falls

Eagle Creek Upper Falls, also called Upper Eagle Creek Falls, is a small waterfall located in Clackamas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The waterfall is known for a fish ladder that bypasses the waterfall to assist fish navigate the waterfall. Eagle Creek is known for being a point for fishing chinook salmon, bull trout, and steelhead trout.

References

  1. 1 2 "Little Niagara Falls Clackamas County, Oregon". Northwest Waterfall Survey. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Little Niagara Falls". World Waterfall Database. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  3. Schowalter-Hay, Ethan (Autumn 2009). "The Once and Future River" (PDF). Northwest Passage. Bureau of Land Management. p. 27.