Overview

• Location: Tillamook County, Tillamook State Forest (Forest Development Fund, near Tillamook)

• Waterfall Type: Horsetail

• Height: ~55 feet (17 m)

• Trail Distance: ~2.2 miles round-trip from University Falls Trailhead

• Difficulty: Easy

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

History & Background

University Falls is a graceful 55-foot horsetail in the Tillamook State Forest, accessible from a well-marked trailhead on Highway 6 west of Forest Grove. The name has an intriguing history: the falls were named in 1923 by University of Oregon forestry students who were working in the Tillamook State Forest — at the time, the forest was devastated land recovering from the first of the catastrophic Tillamook Burn fires (1933 was the largest, but earlier fires also scarred the region). The Tillamook State Forest’s recovery from the Tillamook Burn — a series of fires from 1933 to 1951 that burned over 350,000 acres — stands as one of Oregon’s greatest conservation and reforestation success stories, with thousands of volunteers planting trees in the recovering forest. University Falls flows in the Wilson River watershed, and its short, easy trail makes it one of the most accessible waterfalls in the northern Coast Range.

Geology

University Falls drops 55 feet as a broad horsetail over an oceanic basalt cliff at approximately 1,700 feet elevation in the Wilson River watershed of the Tillamook State Forest. The second-growth and maturing Douglas fir forest surrounding the falls is the product of the post-Tillamook Burn replanting effort — millions of seedlings planted by schoolchildren, civic groups, and state workers in the 1940s and 1950s have grown into the productive forest visible today. The Coast Range here receives over 100 inches of annual precipitation, sustaining the perennial stream flows that power the falls.

Directions & Access

• Nearest City: Forest Grove, OR (~20 miles east via Hwy 6); Tillamook, OR (~35 miles west via Hwy 6)

• Trail Information:

  • From Highway 6 west of Forest Grove, turn south at the signed University Falls Trailhead; the easy 1.1-mile trail descends through the recovering Tillamook State Forest to the falls base

  • The trail passes through the remarkable recovered forest of the Tillamook Burn recovery area; interpretive signs explain the reforestation history; the Tillamook Forest Center on Highway 6 is nearby and excellent for context on the Burn and recovery

• Parking:

  • University Falls Trailhead parking area on Highway 6; Oregon Department of Forestry manages the site; no fee

• Accessibility:

  • Relatively easy trail with modest elevation change; generally accessible for most visitors

Best Time to Visit

• Spring: Best flows; the recovering forest is vivid green; trail conditions excellent

• Summer: Reduced flow; cool forested hiking; convenient proximity to Portland and valley communities

• Fall: Flows returning with October rains; fall foliage from red alder and vine maple in the recovery forest

• Winter: Highest flows; trail accessible year-round at this moderate elevation

Nearby Attractions

• Tillamook Forest Center (Wilson River area, excellent interpretive exhibits)

• Wilson River Trail

• Tillamook (~35 miles west)

• Forest Grove (~20 miles east)

• Banks-Vernonia State Trail

References

• Links:

  • Oregon Department of Forestry – Tillamook State Forest

  • Tillamook Forest Center

• Books:

  • Oregon Waterfalls by Greg Plumb

  • Waterfall Lover's Guide: Pacific Northwest