Mill Creek Falls

Last updated
Mill Creek Falls
Mill Creek Falls (3680180582).jpg
Mill Creek Falls in July
Location Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint
Coordinates 42°44′25″N122°29′43″W / 42.74028°N 122.49528°W / 42.74028; -122.49528 Coordinates: 42°44′25″N122°29′43″W / 42.74028°N 122.49528°W / 42.74028; -122.49528
Type Plunge
Elevation2,348 ft (716 m)
Total height173 ft (53 m)
Number of drops1

Mill Creek Falls, is a waterfall located in the Rogue River Canyon within the Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The waterfall is located at the south end of Mill Creek as it plunges into the Rogue River over a carved cliff surrounded by walls of petrified volcanic ash consequence of Mount Mazama eruption.

Contents

Mill Creek Falls shares the same rock cliff with Barr Creek Falls. [1] Both waterfalls can be seen next to each other from their respective viewpoints. With a height of 173 feet, Mill Creek Falls is among the tallest waterfalls in Oregon.

Location

Mill Creek Falls is located at the southernmost tip of the Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) places the falls at coordinates 42°44′25″N122°29′43″W / 42.7403193°N 122.4952308°W / 42.7403193; -122.4952308 at an elevation of 2,365 feet (721 m) above sea level. [2] The Mill Creek Falls Scenic Area is one of the trails and viewing areas designed and constructed by the Boise Cascade Corporation. [3]

Mill Creek

Mill Creek crosses through the Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint and the town of Prospect. Both Barr Creek and Mill Creek run parallel to each other from the Mill Creek Campground until plunging into the Rogue River Canyon. Further East Mill Creek flows from the west hills of Huckleberry Mountain on the west skirt of the Crater Lake National Park. Mill Creek has several tributaries including the North Fork Mill Creek which begins on the north hills of Huckleberry Mountain near Union Creek.

Access

Access to the waterfall is from a trail that starts on the park's parking lot on the town of Prospect's Mill Creek Drive, the southernmost of two parking lots on the road. [4] The trail-head has an illustrative map of the area including the trail to the Avenue of Boulders and Mill Creek Falls. The trail is approximately half a mile from the parking lot to Mill Creek Falls viewpoint followed by the Barr Creek Falls viewpoint. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Multnomah Falls United States historic place

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height.

Fall Creek Falls State Park

Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park is a state park in Van Buren and Bledsoe counties, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The over 26,000-acre (110 km2) park is centered on the upper Cane Creek Gorge, an area known for its unique geological formations and scenic waterfalls. The park's namesake is the 256-foot (78 m) Fall Creek Falls, the highest free-fall waterfall east of the Mississippi River.

Oneonta Gorge

Oneonta Gorge is a scenic gorge located in the Columbia River Gorge area of the American state of Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service has designated it as a botanical area because of the unique aquatic and woodland plants that grow there. Exposed walls of 25-million-year-old basalt are home to a wide variety of ferns, mosses, hepatics, and lichens, many of which grow only in the Columbia River Gorge. Oneonta Gorge with its 50 species of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and trees has been described as "one of the true dramatic chasms in the state."

Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint

Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint, is a state park south of the community of Prospect on Oregon Route 62 in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was formerly known as Mill Creek Falls Scenic Area, a private hiking area that was developed by Willamette Industries along the Rogue River. Both Mill Creek Falls and Pearsony Falls are contained within the area, with Barr Creek Falls close by.

Barr Creek Falls

Barr Creek Falls, is a waterfall located in the Rogue River Canyon within the Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The waterfall is located at the south end of Barr Creek as it plunges into the Rogue River over a carved cliff surrounded by walls of petrified volcanic ash as a consequence of the Mount Mazama eruption. The waterfall has also been called Bear Creek Falls. The waterfall gets its name from the creek which was called "Barr" for the presence of a fence that prevented cattle from straying out of the local Red Blanket Ranch and that ran adjacent to the creek.

Latourell Falls

Latourell Falls is a waterfall along the Columbia River Gorge in the U.S. state of Oregon, within Guy W. Talbot State Park.

Eagle Creek (Multnomah County, Oregon)

Eagle Creek is a creek located in Hood River County, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. A tributary of the Columbia River, the creek flows for approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the Thrush Pond between Eagle Butte and Tanner Butte to its mouth near Bonneville Dam. The East Fork Eagle Creek is a major tributary that begins at Wahtum Lake and joins the main stem approximately 2/3 the way between the Thrush Pond and the Columbia River, separated by Indian Mountain.

Salmon River (Clackamas County, Oregon)

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.

Spahats Creek Falls

Spahats Creek Falls, also called Spahats Falls, is a waterfall on Spahats Creek within Wells Gray Provincial Park of British Columbia, Canada. Common references place the falls at around 60 m (197 ft) tall, but taking into account the second tier, it is closer to 75–80 meters tall. It is a popular stop for tourists and especially motorcoach tours since it is only 10 km (6.2 mi) off the busy Yellowhead Highway.

Coopey Falls

Coopey Falls is a waterfall on Coopey Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, on the Historic Columbia River Highway in Multnomah County, Oregon. The falls is a horsetail waterfall with a drop of 150 feet (46 m).

Twister Falls

Twister Falls is a prominent waterfall that is formed as Eagle Creek cascades 140 feet (43 m) into a narrow canyon and forms two streams that appear to "twist" around each other, hence the name "twister". The falls begin with a small sliding cascade that drops 5 feet (1.5 m) over a rocky slope into a pool, followed by some rapids. The next tier is the twisting tier, which plunges 50 feet (15 m). Before this point, a small portion of the stream splits off and makes a sheer plunge of approximately equal height down the canyon. Then, the waters combine and form a final drop of 80 feet (24 m).

Salt Creek Falls

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.

Course of the Rogue River (Oregon)

The Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon begins at Boundary Springs on the border between Klamath and Douglas counties near the northern edge of Crater Lake National Park. The Rogue River flows generally west for 215 miles (346 km) from the Cascade Range through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the Klamath Mountains to the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach. Communities along its course include Union Creek, Prospect, Trail, Shady Cove, Gold Hill, and Rogue River, all in Jackson County; Grants Pass, and Galice in Josephine County, and Agness, Wedderburn and Gold Beach in Curry County. Significant tributaries include the South Fork Rogue River, Elk Creek, Bear Creek, the Applegate River, and the Illinois River. Arising at 5,320 feet (1,622 m) above sea level, the river loses more than 1 mile (1.6 km) in elevation by the time it reaches the Pacific.

Ohanapecosh River

The Ohanapecosh River is a 16-mile (26 km) river in the U.S. state of Washington.

Proxy Falls

Proxy Falls, also known as Lower Proxy Falls, is a cascade and plunge waterfall from a collection of springs on the shoulder of North Sister, that plunges into a gaping canyon near McKenzie Pass in the Willamette National Forest, near Belknap Springs, Oregon. The waterfall is notable for its main drop of 226 feet (69 m) which makes it one of the highest plunge waterfalls in Oregon.

Wahe Falls, also called Moffett Creek Falls, is an 80-foot waterfall on the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Wahe Falls is the last of several waterfalls along Moffett Creek. The mouth of the Creek is within the limits of the John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor.

Diamond Creek Falls

Diamond Creek Falls is a waterfall formed along Gibson Canyon on the north end of Willamette National Forest, east side of the city of Oakridge in Lane County, Oregon. Access to Diamond Creek Falls is located along Oregon Route 58 through trail paths that lead down to the stream and the base of the waterfall.

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.

Cline Falls

Cline Falls is a 20 ft-high (6.1 m) segmented steep cascade waterfall on the Deschutes River. It is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Redmond, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is named for Cass A. Cline, who owned the land adjacent to the falls in the early 20th century. The falls occur just north of the point where Oregon Route 126 crosses the Deschutes River. The riparian area around Cline Falls provides habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species.

Helmet Falls

Helmet Falls is a tiered waterfall located in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada. With total height of 352 metres (1,155 ft), Helmet Falls is the 11th tallest confirmed waterfall in the Canadian Rockies, as well as one of the most significant waterfalls in British Columbia based on both height and volume.

References

  1. "Mill Creek Falls". Northwest Waterfall Survey. 2008. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  2. "Mill Creek Falls". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey (USGS). 1993-04-01. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  3. Plumb, Gregory (2013). Waterfall Lover's Guide Pacific Northwest: Where to Find Hundreds of Spectacular Waterfalls in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Mountaineers Books. ISBN   1594857547.
  4. Richmond, Simon (2018). Lonely Planet USA's Best Trips. Lonely Planet. ISBN   178701939X.
  5. Friedman, Ralph (1990). In Search of Western Oregon . Caxton Press. p.  734. ISBN   0870043323.