Oregon City Elevator/Willamette Falls

Somehow, I didn't know about the Oregon City Elevator. Mom says I may have been there as a kid, but I definitely do not remember it. I don't even know how I heard about it this time around. I do know I heard that it was the only "vertical street in the world." I think it may have been on the radio. I don't go down to that part of the metro area often, so I never even noticed it. Believe me, you'd notice it if you drove by (see the pictures below).

Let's just say that if this is a vertical street, I'm . . . I don't know . . . Betty White. It's an elevator. It's not even a very nice elevator. I'm glad we did it, but I wasn't impressed. I was even less impressed by Oregon City itself. As I said, I haven't been there in awhile if ever, but it was really run down. It seemed like there might be some good potential, but there was nothing much going for it this time. A good urban renovation could be good for this place. I didn't want to turn right back around and head back up the elevator, though, so we walked around down to the falls.

Willamette Falls is another sad reminder of what could be. The river seemed polluted, but it was probably just the debris from it being higher than normal. The run down factories built on the sides of the falls were the big problem, though. It wasn't even the 'neat old' type of factory, just a really run down paper mill that looked and smelled bad. The falls are big and powerful and still an impressive site, but it's certainly no picnic place in the making.

Back to the elevator. I can do that because it was used to get back, too. And to give it credit, it is the only elevator that connects a street on two ends, but it's not like you can drive into it. There is a nice view from the top, nothing touristy about the ride (the attendant didn't say a word to us - and why is she even there? I can push a button). It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been for the "art project" of c. 2004. There may have been some lovely pictures, but they were all that cheap greeting card thing where if you look at it from one angle you see one thing and if you look at it from another you see another. I, personally, never can really see a full picture in one of those things. Anyway, we took the elevator back to the top, got in the car and drove off. Zoom zoom.

Here are the specifics:

Fee: None

Pets: Allowed, on leash

Facilities: None
Waterway: Willamette River
Waterfall Type: Block
Round Trip Hike: Roadside
Hiking Difficulty (out of 5): 0

Camping: No

Season: Year round

Coordinates: Elevator - 45.356918, -122.607701; Falls - 45.35239, -122.61763

Governmental Agency Land: Presumably Oregon City

Nearest town: Oregon City, Oregon (in town)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Oregon City, Oregon (in town)

County: Clackamas, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 3 for beauty, 5 for crowds, 1 for play availability, 1 for surroundings - 2.5 average

More Information: Elevator; Falls

My Current Location: Home - Portland, Oregon

Oregon City Elevator:
Part of the view from the top:
Willamette Falls:

Golden and Silver Falls State Park

Let's start with a few details on the "lovely" trip we had to Golden and Silver Falls State Park which may or may not have tainted the opinion I have of this wonderful place.

A. I was falling asleep on the drive up. I was driving. My cohorts in the great trek to the falls were very much asleep. There was no having someone else drive, I was the most awake.
B. It was hot. Very hot, especially when compared to where we were camping. As noted in my Sunset Bay State Park Campground post, there was a cold cloud that loved the campground. A few miles inland, it was warm and humid.
C. There were bugs. God were there bugs. The kind of bugs that love to land on people that are hot and sweaty from their walk to a waterfall in 85-90 degree weather. Oh, and bees.
D. We decided to climb up to the base (or close to) of Golden Falls. This was fine, except for B & C, above. The problem was trying to find a different way down. I decided to take a different route back to the trail than Tim and Jason. My route gave me a nice slide down the side of a rock that decided to keep my right foot at the top. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to continue my trek back to the trail, but the pain subsided enough to get back and even take part of the walk up to Silver Falls.

There, with that said let us continue. I had no idea that I should expect a set of falls that were this tall. I was honestly quite surprised when we got to the first view of Golden Falls. The hike is relatively short. I can't find how far right now, but I would guess no more than 1 mile round trip. When you get to the end of the trail, you have a pretty good view of the falls. Anything closer will require rock climbing. The falls don't have the biggest volume, but it was the middle of July, so I'm sure it would be better any other time of the year.

You're not going to set up a picnic here unless you want to bring all your supplies up to the top of a large boulder. You can do this at the picnic tables right next to the gravel parking lot (yes, I'm saying this may not be so pleasant). This is a nice place, but it won't be a place to set up a day long visit.

I can't say much about Silver Falls since I was in pain and we only walked just far enough to get a distant view. Golden Falls tumbles over a cliff in horsetail fashion. Silver Falls goes over a large rock that if you can get under it you can walk behind. I don't know how to describe it well apparently. It's very possible that Silver Falls would have an amazing base that you'd want to spend hours at. The falls aren't as impressive though, since there is barely a trickle going over them. Again, a different season and they may be amazing.

One interesting historical note - the trail to Silver Falls is an old road that has a small informational plaque about the road that drove right over the top of two falls. I found it interesting, maybe I'm the only one. Overall, if you have a couple extra hours and are in the area, I'd recommend it. Just don't pick a hot day.

Here are the specifics:

Fee: None

Pets: Allowed, as far as I know

Facilities: Vault toilets, picnic tables, no water
Attractions: Trails, viewpoints, old-growth forest
Waterway: Golden Falls - Glenn Creek; Silver Falls - Silver Creek
Waterfall Type: Golden Falls - Horsetail; Silver Falls - Segmented
Round Trip Hike: About 6/10 mile for each hike
Hiking Difficulty (out of 5): 1

Camping: No

Season: Year round, pick the best time that will combine decent weather with good flows over the falls

Coordinates: Golden Falls - 43.485278 -123.926667 (Unverified, these are the coordinates I have, but I can't find the exact point on Google Maps); Silver Falls - 43.488611 -123.933333

Governmental Agency Land: Oregon State Parks & Recreation

Nearest town: Allegany, Oregon (10.5 miles)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Coos Bay, Oregon (25.4 miles)

County: Coos County, Oregon

My rating (out of 6): 3 for beauty, 4 for crowds, 4 for play availability, 3 for surroundings - 3.5 average

More Information: Oregon State Parks - Golden and Silver Falls

My Current Location: Home - Portland, Oregon

Silver Falls:

Golden Falls: