The State of Oregon is the
|
When it comes to scenic landscape subject matter, taking waterfall pictures ranks very high on a list of photographer favorites. There is just something about the sight of flowing, cascading water - especially when it is located in a deep forest of lush evergreen trees. The State of Oregon is blessed with an abundance of beautiful waterfalls. Most of these (but not all) are found west of the Cascade Mountain Range. One of the most famous waterfalls in Oregon is also the tallest - Multnomah Falls. Located east of Portland along the Columbia River Gorge area, Multnomah plunges more than 600 feet down a cliff in two stages.
Beautiful Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon. It is very difficult to show all of it in one photograph (unless you happen to own an extra wide "wide-angle" lens).
View of Multnomah Falls taken from the trail which leads to the top.
Another beautiful waterfall - and the second tallest in Oregon - is Salt Creek Falls (found in the southern portion of the State off of Highway 58). Salt Creek Falls plunges 286 feet over a forest ledge. A viewpoint lookout offers a good location to photograph this waterfall from.
This is Salt Creek Falls photographed with a fast shutter speed (to freeze the water).
Salt Creek Falls photographed with a slow shutter speed (to blur the water and make it appear more like silk). The photographer can express a different mood when taking waterfall pictures depending upon the shutter speed chosen. Which photo do you prefer?
For my wife and I, central Oregon features two of the finest waterfalls in the State - Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls. They are only about a mile apart and are located on the beautiful McKenzie River. A short hiking trail links the two falls and parallels the river. From Eugene, take Highway 126 east toward Bend. Sahalie Falls is less than half a mile from the highway and can be seen in the movie "Homeward Bound". You can burn several rolls of film or fill an entire memory card with waterfall pictures at these two scenic locations.
Sahalie Falls is located off of Highway 126 in central Oregon.
A close-up view of Sahalie Falls taken at a different time of year (notice
that the small trickle of water seen to the right of the falls in the
first photo is missing here).
Just a mile downstream from Sahalie Falls is Koosah Falls. It is
spectacular in it's own right. The hike between the two falls is
an easy one and is well worth your time and effort.
This idyllic scene is found on the trail between Sahalie and Koosah Falls
(along the beautiful McKenzie River). You can take scenic forest and
river photographs along this trail and get some great
waterfall pictures also.
Another excellent spot to capture many different waterfall pictures is at Silver Falls State Park near Salem. There are ten separate waterfalls in the park which you can photograph. The Columbia River Gorge area near Portland also features several other waterfalls besides Multnomah. In fact, you don't have to travel very far throughout the western portion of the State to find beautiful waterfalls to photograph. Some of them require hiking a trail to get to. One of these is Proxy Falls - found off of the old McKenzie Highway in central Oregon. The trail actually takes you to two waterfalls - Upper Proxy Falls and Lower Proxy Falls. The trail itself is a pleasure to hike and winds through old lava bed fields. It also has an abundance of rain forest plants lining the pathway to the falls.
Side Note:
Would you be interested in a recession-proof home business? Click here for my review of a very rare and unique company.
One of ten different waterfalls found at Silver Falls State Park near Salem, Oregon. There is also a Silver Falls in the southern portion of the State near Coos Bay and Bandon. There are many opportunities to take waterfall pictures throughout the State.
The trail which leads to upper and lower Proxy Falls
winds through beautiful country in central Oregon.
Another section of the Proxy Falls trail travels through old lava beds in the forest. The scenic beauty of the trail itself is an enjoyable experience.
This is Upper Proxy Falls. It is only a half mile hike from the start of the trail to the waterfall.
Just a short hike away is Lower Proxy Falls. The deep forest surroundings give you a sense of being alone in the wilderness - even though you are not far from the highway.
If you travel the entire length of the old McKenzie Highway (not possible during many Spring, Fall and Winter months due to heavy snowfall), you can enjoy one of the most scenic drives in North America and capture some truly outstanding rain forest pictures. It is an extremely lush and beautiful part of central Oregon.
The State of Oregon is truly a paradise for those wishing to capture gorgeous
waterfall pictures
with their camera. Few places in the United States can match it for scenic beauty.
The Oregon forests come alive with color during the Fall months.
It is a great time to explore and take pictures of waterfalls.
One more look at Koosah Falls. There are several excellent vantage points to photograph both Koosah and Sahalie Falls from.
Please visit more of my Oregon pages:
Oregon coast photographs
Pictures of majestic Mount Hood
Pictures of scenic Bandon, Oregon
Pictures of Portland, Oregon
Oregon lighthouse photographs
Oregon main page
Also, check out my page about Seattle:
Seattle skyline photographs
To return to the home page, click here.
