Ultimate Road Trip to Oregon’s Most Beautiful Waterfalls

Oregon (statewide)

We consider Oregon to be the waterfall capital of the world and for good reason - there’s over 200 waterfalls in the state! Add that to the spectacular blue lakes, pristine rivers, and the snow capped Mount Hood, and you’ve got yourself the trip of a lifetime. We’ve organized the hikes below as an itinerary for a road trip that starts from Portland, heads down towards Bend, and then back up towards Eugene. This guide provides some general travel tips for visiting Oregon, a road trip itinerary to visit the most beautiful waterfalls there, and tips/details on the hikes included in the itinerary.

General Travel Tips

• Book your hotels or camping for Oregon at least a few months in advance of visiting - they book up quickly and there are very limited options in some areas.

• As some destinations below have little to no cell reception, download offline maps for both driving to the hikes and for the hikes themselves. We've provided detailed instructions on how to do this in the Google Maps and All Trails apps HERE.

• Many of the sites below will require that you have a Northwest Forest Pass displayed in your vehicle when parked at the various trailheads. An annual Northwest Forest pass is honored at all Forest Service day-use or entrance fee sites in Washington and Oregon and can be purchased HERE.

• The rocks around the waterfalls are super slippery, so if you plan to explore the areas immediately in front of and around the waterfalls, bring grippy water shoes. With that said, we do not recommend hiking the entire trail to each waterfall listed below in water shoes.

• Prior to your trip, double check that there aren’t any active wildfires along the route described below.

• At the time of this writing (July 2021), many other great hikes were closed due to damage from wildfires, but it would be well worth your effort to research if and when they’ll reopen: Oneonta Gorge, Elowah Falls, Pup Creek Falls, and Opal Creek.

DAY ONE

1. Start in Portland, Oregon

2. Panther Creek Falls (1hr 30min drive from Portland): 0.3 mile roundtrip hike, 121 feet of elevation gain. Make sure to use the All Trails offline map for this location when finding the parking lot for Panther Creek Falls - instructions on how to download offline maps are in the general travel tips section at the top of this page. Google maps might get you close but won't lead you to the exact location of the parking area. The parking area will be the largest parking area on your right near the end of the Google Maps directions. While this hike isn’t technically in Oregon, we included it here because it’s so close to Oregon and because its too beautiful to miss out on.

3. Top of Multnomah Falls (1hr drive from Panther Creek Falls): 2.4 mile roundtrip hike, 810 feet of elevation gain. This location will be crowded, so it would be a good idea to visit early in the day.

4. Latourell Falls (30min drive from Multnomah Falls): 0.2 mile roundtrip hike, 6 feet of elevation gain.

5. Visit other waterfalls of your choice along the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway. Click HERE for a great map of the waterfalls along the highway.

6. Sleep in Portland, Oregon (45min drive from Latourell Falls).

DAY TWO

1. Ramona Falls (1hr 30min drive from Portland): 7.1 mile roundtrip hike, 1,066 feet of elevation gain. On this hike, you’ll cross the Sandy River (read the signs there on how to safely cross a river), and even get a quick view of Mt. Hood along the way to the falls. If you’d like a more shaded and scenic hike, take a left when you reach the first fork in the trail.

2. Tamanawas Falls (1hr drive from Ramona Falls): 3.4 mile roundtrip hike, 580 feet of elevation gain.

3. Sleep in Portland, Oregon (2hr 30min drive from Tamanawas Falls).

DAY THREE

1. Punchbowl and Tunnel Falls via the Eagle Creek Trail (40min drive from Portland): 12 mile roundtrip hike, 1640 feet of elevation gain. Be warned, if you’re afraid of heights, this hike may not be for you. The trail becomes very narrow in some spots, right along very steep drop offs – not a place you’d want to trip. There’s also not much shade along this trail, so make sure to bring plenty of water. To be able to reach Punchbowl falls, you’ll have to swim, so it would be a good idea to wear a swimsuit and to bring water shoes with you. Be sure to watch for rocks underwater - they can be difficult to see so you'll have to feel your way around a bit in the water while swimming. If you hike less than a quarter mile past Tunnel Falls, you’ll also reach Twister Falls and a small swimming hole that’s a great spot to take a dip in the water to cool off - just know that this water is ice cold!

2. Sleep in Silverton, Oregon (2hr drive from Tamanawas Falls).

DAY FOUR

1. Abiqua Falls (30min drive from Silverton): 0.7 mile roundtrip hike, 249 feet of elevation gain. Be sure to download offline maps for both driving directions and the hiking trail (see directions on how to do this in the general travel tips section at the top of this page). The last turn you’ll take when driving is a right onto road CF300 which is about 2.5 miles long and end’s at a white gate - this is the small parking area for the hike. However, about 1.5 miles down the road, there are some deep bumpy parts of the road that only a high clearance vehicle can navigate, so it would be a good idea to park your car at or before the 1.5 mile mark if you don’t have this type of vehicle. The trail starts before the white gate and if you follow the All Trails offline map, you’ll be fine. A pair of gloves would also be helpful to have with you because at one point, you’ll have to use ropes that people have setup to make your way down the steep parts of the trail.

2. Trail of Ten Falls, Silver Falls State Park (40min drive from Abiqua Falls): 7.4 mile roundtrip hike, 1,210 feet of elevation gain. The most beautiful falls to visit along this trail are Lower South Falls, Middle North Falls, and North Falls. We recommend parking early in the morning at the parking Lot near North Falls and then hiking to North and Middle North Falls - this parking lot becomes full quickly so its best to get here first thing in the morning. After seeing both of these falls, we then recommend driving to/parking at South Falls and hiking to Lower South Falls. As this is a state park, the Northwest Forest Pass is not accepted here, so be sure to pay for parking at a kiosk and put the receipt on the dashboard of your car.

3. Sleep in Sisters, Oregon (2hr 15min drive from Silver Falls State Park).

DAY FIVE

1. Tamolitch Blue Pool (45min drive from Sisters): 3.6 mile roundtrip hike, 285 feet of elevation gain. You’re not going to believe the blue color and clarity of this lake! It’s like the lake is begging you to come jump in - that’s until you actually do jump in and feel the temperature of the water that averages 37 degrees Fahrenheight. Don’t stay in too long or you might not make it out. The part of the trail that leads down to the shore of the lake is steep and rocky, so take your time going down.

2. Lower Proxy Falls (30min drive from Tamolitch Blue Pool): 1.6 mile roundtrip hike, 147 feet of elevation gain. This trail takes you to both Lower and Upper Proxy Falls - Lower Proxy Falls is much more beautiful than Upper Proxy Falls.

3. Sleep in Diamond Lake, Oregon (3hr 15min drive from Proxy Falls).

DAY SIX

1. Toketee Falls (30min drive from Diamond Lake): 0.9 mile roundtrip hike, 167 feet of elevation gain. At the end of the hike, there’s a platform on the side of a cliff that gives you great view of the falls. If you decide to head down the not so legal trail using the ropes that others have setup, be sure to have gloves with you - it's a near vertical hike down in the first few sections.

2. Watson Falls (5min drive from Toketee Falls): 1 mile roundtrip hike, 524 feet of elevation gain.

3. Watchman Peak Trail, Crater Lake National Park (30min drive from Watson Falls): 1.7 mile roundtrip hike, 400 feet of elevation gain. Be sure to grab a bite at Mazama Village, you won’t regret it!

4. Sleep in Diamond Lake, Oregon (45min drive from Discovery Point Trail).

DAY SEVEN

1. Discovery Point Trail, Crater Lake National Park (36min drive from Diamond Lake): 2.4 mile roundtrip hike, 337 feet of elevation gain.

2. Diamond Creek Falls (1hr 40min drive from Discovery Point Trail): 4 mile roundtrip hike, 784 feet of elevation gain. The trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot. You can follow the blue markers on the trees to help you stay on the trail. If you’re looking for a nice spot to have a picnic, this location has great picnic tables in the shade near the parking area.

3. Sleep in Eugene, Oregon (1hr 40min drive from Diamond Creek Falls).