Youngs River Falls is a 54-foot veiling horsetail waterfall on the Youngs River in Clatsop County, Oregon, about 10 miles south of Astoria. A free city-run day-use site with a short trail to a swimming pool at its base, it has been on record since a Lewis and Clark hunting party reached it in 1806.
The falls
The river pours over a wide rock wall in a single 54-foot drop, averaging about 45 feet across, into a pool; the base of the falls sits only about 10 feet above sea level. The river flows year-round. Big floods jam logs against the cliff, some stacked 15 to 20 feet above the water line. The falls have appeared in films including Free Willy 2, Benji the Hunted and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.
Getting there
From the Astoria roundabout where US 101 meets Highway 202, head south 1.5 miles on Highway 202/Business 101, continue 1.5 miles on Business 101, turn left on Youngs River Road and drive 7.5 miles, then turn right at the falls sign just before the bridge over the river. The falls can be seen from the parking area, and a trail drops 0.25 mile to the base. The site is managed by Astoria Parks & Recreation, is free and is open year-round for day use only.
When to go
Flow is strongest from November to June. The pool is a popular summer swimming spot.
On site
The pool is 5 to 7 feet deep and ringed by dense forest. Dogs are allowed on a leash. Climbing and cliff jumping are prohibited. A visitor died after jumping from the falls in July 2014, and a 34-year-old Astoria man died from a fall there in April 2016.
History and name
Lieutenant William Broughton of the Vancouver expedition named the river in 1792 for Admiral Sir George Young. On March 1, 1806, Sergeant Patrick Gass of the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the falls and described a drop of about 60 feet. An early-1900s postcard calls them Saddle Falls, probably after nearby Saddle Mountain.
Nearby
Hortill Creek Falls is about 2.5 miles away, Klickitat Creek Falls about 2.9 miles and Barth Falls, on the North Fork Klaskanine River, about 5.2 miles.
Distances are straight-line.