Find one of Oregon’s tallest waterfalls on an easy little hike in the mountains

Watson Falls may be one of the

biggest waterfalls in Oregon

, but the hike to see it is anything but.

Hikers exploring

the hidden waterfall corridor

along the North Umpqua River in Oregon’s southern Cascade Mountains should make it a point to stop by the

Watson Falls Trail

, which is arguably the best waterfall hike in the area and might even rank among the greatest in the state.

The 293-foot waterfall pours off a basalt cliff into a stone amphitheater in the mountains, bathing the forest in a fine mist as the water crashes into the boulders below. Watson Creek tumbles steeply downhill from the base of the falls, bouncing off the mossy rocks and fallen logs in a quick succession of rapids before entering a culvert that carries it underneath the highway.

Small rapids and falls are found along the Watson Falls Trail.

Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A boardwalk crosses Watson Creek below the falls.

Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A very damp bench is found at the upper Watson Falls viewpoint.

Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Watson Creek flows through the forest before entering a culvert that carries it beneath the road.

Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A moderately easy half-mile trail leads up along the creek to three viewpoints of the waterfall: one from a footbridge over the creek, a second at the base of the falls, and a third near the top. All are worth seeing, especially considering the relatively minimal effort required to complete the .8-mile out-and-back hike.

The trail to the falls itself is breathtaking. At one point, a wooden boardwalk crosses Watson Creek, the bubbling water rushing beneath your feet, the towering waterfall spied above and just beyond. The dense forest is lush with greenery, especially in the spring, when bright moss and fresh growth fills in the landscape all around.

Hikers start out at the Watson Falls Trailhead, a large and well-maintained U.S. Forest Service site, where there is ample parking and a vault toilet, found on the side of Oregon 138 about 45 miles east of Glide. Signs at the trailhead point hikers through the parking lot, up a set of stairs and across forest road 37, where a dirt trail heads up to the waterfall.

(There is also a second path to the trail from a nearby pullout on the forest road, which allows hikers to do something of a loop on the way back. Just make sure you take the main fork at some point, which has the better scenery.)

As for Watson Falls’ place among Oregon’s tallest waterfalls, there is, unsurprisingly, a little controversy.

For one thing, the waterfall is often erroneously cited as being 272 feet tall, a finding that the Northwest Waterfall Survey

has disputed

. In 2009, the waterfall database measured the falls at 302 feet tall, which prompted the Umpqua National Forest to re-measure, finding a more accurate height of 293 feet.

Watson Falls is also sometimes considered the third tallest waterfall in Oregon, another claim the Northwest Waterfall Survey contests. The website said it is possible the waterfall is the third tallest “free-falling drop” in the state (behind Marten Buttes Falls and Yocum Ridge Falls), but absent that qualification, Watson Falls ranks 16th among confirmed Oregon waterfalls in its database. Ranked above it are many multi-tiered waterfalls like Linton Falls, Ice Falls and Munson Creek Falls.

Don’t let that dose of reality dissuade you from a visit. While located in a remote stretch of the Cascade Mountains, Watson Falls is definitely a must-visit for anyone passing through.

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