Overview

• Location: Tillamook County, Oregon Department of Forestry (Nehalem River, near Tillamook)

• Waterfall Type: Cascade

• Height: ~8 feet (2 m)

• Trail Distance: ~0.5 miles round-trip via easy trail from Nehalem Falls Campground

• Difficulty: Easy

• Best Time to Visit: Year-round; best flow fall through spring

History & Background

Nehalem Falls is a modest 8-foot cascade on the Nehalem River near the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Nehalem Falls Campground in Tillamook County, southeast of Tillamook on Highway 6. The campground is a popular base for anglers fishing the Nehalem River for salmon and steelhead, which pass through this stretch each fall and winter. The Nehalem River is one of the Oregon Coast Range’s most beloved rivers — a designated Oregon Scenic Waterway flowing from the forested hills of Tillamook County through the Nehalem Valley before emptying into the Pacific at Nehalem Bay State Park. Though modest in height, the falls are a pleasant feature of the river corridor and easily accessible from the campground.

Geology

Nehalem Falls cascades over a low basaltic bedrock ledge on the Nehalem River at approximately 700 feet elevation in the northern Oregon Coast Range. The river flows through ancient oceanic basalt at this point in its journey from the forested uplands toward the coast. The surrounding second-growth Douglas fir and red alder forest reflects the moist, productive Coast Range environment managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry for multiple values including timber, watershed, and recreation.

Directions & Access

• Nearest City: Tillamook, OR (~20 miles northwest via Hwy 6)

• Trail Information:

  • Short, easy trail from the Nehalem Falls Campground leads along the Nehalem River to the falls viewpoint; the path is flat and suitable for all visitors

  • Nehalem Falls Campground provides fee camping with a pleasant setting along the river; the falls are the main attraction for campers and day visitors alike

• Parking:

  • Nehalem Falls Campground day-use parking; Oregon Department of Forestry day-use fee or camping fee

• Accessibility:

  • Flat, easy trail from the campground; generally accessible for most visitors

Best Time to Visit

• Spring: Good flows; spring steelhead season on the Nehalem; surrounding forest vivid green

• Summer: Reduced flow; the campground is popular; warm and pleasant

• Fall: Best fishing season; fall Chinook and steelhead; flows returning with October rains

• Winter: Highest flows; winter steelhead; campground may have limited winter facilities

Nearby Attractions

• Nehalem Falls Campground (ODF)

• Tillamook, Oregon (Cheese Factory, Air Museum)

• Tillamook State Forest

• Nehalem Bay State Park

• Wilson River Trail (Hwy 6 corridor)

References

• Links:

  • Oregon Department of Forestry – Nehalem Falls Campground

  • Travel Oregon – Nehalem River

• Books:

  • Oregon Waterfalls by Greg Plumb

  • Waterfall Lover's Guide: Pacific Northwest