Overview

• Location: Tillamook County, Tillamook State Forest (Wilson River watershed, Forest Development Fund)

• Waterfall Type: Horsetail

• Height: ~30 feet (9 m)

• Trail Distance: ~1–2 miles round-trip via forest trail

• Difficulty: Medium

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

History & Background

Wilson Falls is a 30-foot horsetail in the Wilson River watershed of the Tillamook State Forest, in the same magnificent Coast Range forest corridor that hosts the Wilson River Trail — one of Oregon’s finest long-distance trail systems. The Wilson River Trail runs 24.6 miles from the Tillamook Forest Center west to the ocean, and the Wilson River itself is one of the most important coastal steelhead and Chinook salmon streams in northwestern Oregon. The Tillamook State Forest and its Wilson River corridor recovered from the catastrophic Tillamook Burn fires of 1933–1951, and the mature second-growth Douglas fir forest visible today represents nearly a century of recovery and active reforestation.

Geology

Wilson Falls drops 30 feet as a horsetail over an oceanic basalt ledge in the Wilson River watershed at approximately 1,400 feet elevation. The Coast Range basalt here is part of the ancient oceanic terrane accreted onto the continent during the Eocene epoch. The surrounding recovered Tillamook State Forest — with its exceptionally high annual precipitation — creates the lush, moss-draped environment typical of the western Coast Range.

Directions & Access

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

• Trail Information:

  • Forest Development Fund trail from a Wilson River corridor access point leads through the recovering Tillamook State Forest to Wilson Falls

  • Wilson Falls can be combined with sections of the Wilson River Trail for a longer hike; the Tillamook Forest Center on Highway 6 provides excellent context on the Tillamook Burn recovery and the forest’s history

• Parking:

  • Forest Development Fund parking area; no fee required

• Accessibility:

  • Not wheelchair accessible; natural trail surfaces with moderate terrain

Best Time to Visit

• Spring: Best flows; the Wilson River corridor is vivid green; excellent spring steelhead fishing on the river

• Summer: Reduced flows; pleasant cool Coast Range hiking; Wilson River Trail popular with mountain bikers

• Fall: Flows returning with October rains; fall Chinook and steelhead runs on the Wilson River

• Winter: Highest flows; the Wilson River trail accessible year-round at this elevation

Nearby Attractions

• Wilson River Trail (~24.6-mile trail system)

• Tillamook Forest Center (excellent exhibits on the Tillamook Burn)

• Kings Mountain Trail

• Tillamook (~20 miles northwest)

• University Falls (~15 miles east via Hwy 6)

References

• Links:

  • Oregon Department of Forestry – Tillamook State Forest

  • Tillamook Forest Center

• Books:

  • Oregon Waterfalls by Greg Plumb

  • Waterfall Lover's Guide: Pacific Northwest