About Willamette Falls
Willamette Falls turned out to be one of the more frustrating experiences that we’ve had mostly because of its lack of public accessibility. During our visit, the area around the falls remained closed (as had been for over 150 years). However, with the closure of the Blue Heron Paper Company in 2011, economic and civic interests had been in the beginning stages of restoration, public access (via a riverside walk), and economic redevelopment of downtown Oregon City under the Willamette Falls Legacy Project, which apparently started in 2016. It was a shame because we were unable to properly experience what was said to be one of the widest waterfalls in North America as it spanned the width of the Willamette River at around 1500ft with a drop of 40ft. Some of the original shape of the falls was compromised due to blasting of the surrounding rocks to pave the way for economic development of Linn City and Oregon City in the mid 19th century (another indication to us of how the economic rules of engagement both then and now rewards wealth building at the expense of declining the ability of the natural ecosystems to both properly function and provide).
So after encountering a sign that explained all this, we were pretty much left imagining what kind of transformation this would be and what a different experience it would become if we were to come back after the completion of this restoration. On the one hand, it felt like we wasted our time after fighting Friday afternoon traffic that stretched from Eugene all the way to the greater Portland area and beyond to get here. But on the other hand, it was a bit of a welcome break to get out of the car for a bit to reduce the incidence of road rage after being confined in the car whilst moving sluggishly through the gridlock that was reminiscent of the typical driving experience during rush hour back home in Los Angeles.
Even though we were unable to get any closer and more satisfying views of the falls as such places remained off limits due to private property issues (so there remained forbidding fences, locked gates, and foliage obstructing any other remaining views within the immediate vicinity of the falls), we were able to experience Willamette Falls from a distance (as shown at the top of this page) from the Oregon City Arch Bridge (also known as the West Linn-Old Oregon City Bridge). Upon some advice from one of the gas station attendants close to the area, we were able to walk onto the bridge after finding street parking at a parking meter close by (see directions below). In order to access that bridge, we had to cross McLoughlin Rd on a crosswalk beneath the Oregon City Arch Bridge, then took one of the quieter side streets south until we were finally able to walk on the bridge itself.
Despite the rather distant view, we were able to appreciate a partial frontal view of the falls as remaining industrial buildings appeared to have obstructed the view of the right half of the river. However, there also appeared to be plenty of recreational activity going on within the river itself as we witnessed several paddleboarders, kayakers, and motorboats cruising the waters. In addition, there was apparently some signed overlook over the top of the falls, but we weren’t successful finding that (though truthfully, we just didn’t feel like fighting more traffic and one-way streets in pursuit of this other viewpoint after having our fill of the view from the bridge). Our walk from the parking meters to the view on the Oregon City Arch Bridge probably was on the order of at least a half-mile round trip, which was reflected in our difficulty score.
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