ASTORIA TO SALEM ROAD – MAGIC AHEAD OF ITS TIME?

Cuillin smiling atop Saddle Mountain. The Astoria to Salem Road ventured around the peak – Green Mountain – in the center – Mouth of the Columbia River and Astoria lie above.

The 1840’s saw emigrants begin to make Oregon – especially the Willamette Valley – a destination of choice.  After a brief struggle, newcomers chose to make Salem the capital of the new Territory instead of Oregon City.  But Salem was definitely an inland choice.  Transportation to the sea was needed to enable easier communication with the rest of the World as opposed to a six-month jaunt across the Rockies.  As the 1850’s rolled on, the best choice of a seaport lay at the mouth of the Columbia River – enter the Astoria to Salem Road, military in purported purpose, but strategic thinking lay at the heart.

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REDISCOVERING HIDDEN TREASURES OF GOLDEN AND SILVER FALLS

Waters of Glenn Creek freefalling at Golden Falls.

Hidden away in the Coast Mountains of Coos County is a small state Park preserving two of Oregon’s more spectacular waterfall treasures – Golden and Silver Falls.  The two falls are among the highest and most dramatic found west of the Cascades.  Hiding at the end of a long road which gets narrower and wilder as you travel back into the mountains, the park is one of Oregon’s lonelier state parks.  Drive to the road’s end and magic begins.

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WATERFALLS NOT OF THE GORGE – COAST RANGE WESTERN OREGON

PHEASANT CREEK FALLS
The double drop of Pheasant Creek Falls 124 feet altogether. One of the many Coast Range waterfalls.

The last post covered waterfalls I enjoy in southwestern Washington, mostly outside of the Columbia River Gorge, so now we move south of the River to waterfalls in the Coast Range of northwestern Oregon. Again, no way these lists are anything close to comprehensive and others may have other favorites. Plus, we have the two hour limit from Portland to help limit the waterfalling excursions. So, off we go to the Coast Range of Oregon to visit our first waterfalls. Links take you to the Northwest Waterfall Survey pages which give the waterfalls ratings 0-100. The highest rated waterfall in Oregon is Multnomah Falls with a rating of 89.92, so you have something to compare other waterfalls here to.

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