White River Falls Trail

Trail Name: White River Falls State Park

Enter/Exit: White River Falls State Park

Trip type: Out and Back

Difficulty: Easy to the lower falls

Distance: 1.4 Miles Round Trip

Elevation: 250 Feet

Guide:  https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/White_River_Falls_Hike

Review: I discovered White River Falls State Park around 2010 after seeing it advertised on TV. The waterfall seemed out of place amongst the arid landscape of North Central Oregon. It took a few trips for me to see where the small trail went beyond the sandy beach near the bottom of the main falls and I was glad I did. After passing the lower falls and continuing on I came to an overlook above a sandy beach across the river. On that beach was a family enjoying a swim in the river with a cooler full of drinks on the beach. The next time I came out we packed our own cooler along with a football and made the scramble down to the water where we were able to easily swim across. The climb down is not for the faint of heart but you do not need to do any climbing (other than the rock stairs) to enjoy the beautiful falls along this fairly short trail. Almost all of the elevation is encountered as you descend from the parking lot. It is an often crowded swimming spot in the summer time as the water below the main falls is usually fairly shallow and mostly sandy. You’ll still need to keep a close eye on children and those who aren’t swimmers but it is a beautiful way to cool down during the hot summer months.

Rating: Come Back! It’s a lovely off season hike or a great (albeit crowded) swimming hole in the summer.

Rating Guide:

-Gram it: Check out the pictures on Instagram because this one is not worth seeing in person.

-Hike it: It’s short and sweet. Might as well knock it out in a day.

-Bag it: Pack a bag and spend the night.

-Bring a friend: Easy enough to bring a friend. Maybe this is where you can introduce someone to backpacking.

-Come Back: I will keep doing this trip it is so good!