Abiqua Falls is a 92-foot plunge waterfall on Abiqua Creek in Marion County, Oregon, in the Cascade foothills above Scotts Mills. It drops in a near-perfect free fall into a basalt amphitheater, and the land around it is privately owned but open to the public, with a state purchase approved in September 2026.
The falls
Abiqua Creek leaves the lip in a single vertical drop about 20 feet wide into a bowl of columnar basalt, its walls covered in moss and streaked with bright orange-red lichen. The World Waterfall Database surveyed the drop in person at 92 feet; kayakers who ran it measured 101 feet. The creek flows all year.
Getting there
Access is from Scotts Mills by Crooked Finger Road for about 10.8 miles, then road CF-300 for about 2.5 miles to a locked gate. Road CF-300 is rough, with potholes and protruding rocks; a high-clearance vehicle is recommended, though ordinary cars get through slowly. Parking near the gate holds about 5 to 7 cars. The hike is 1.8 miles round trip with 570 feet of gain, starting with a steep, unmarked descent and then following the creek to the falls. No permit is needed and there's no toilet at the trailhead.
The falls sit on private land owned by Mount Angel Abbey, which allows public access; the abbey posted the land closed from April to early July 2010 over liability concerns before reopening it. On September 23, 2026, a state commission approved buying the 40-acre falls property and the 160-acre Abiqua Rapids property, with closing expected in December; until then access continues across private land.
When to go
The falls run year-round. Winter brings fewer people, though high water in early and mid spring floods the creekside trail. For photography, the amphitheater stays in shade until about 9 a.m.
On site
The descent is very steep, with fixed ropes on the worst sections, and turns muddy and slippery after rain; hikers have fallen here and needed airlift rescue. Use the ropes, and turn back if the slope is too slick. Leashed dogs are allowed. In 2011 kayaker Tyler Bradt broke his back running the falls.
Nearby
Upper Abiqua Falls is about 0.5 mile upstream, and Homestead Falls about 0.9 mile. Trinity Falls is about 2 miles away and Butte Creek Falls about 2.7 miles.
Distances are straight-line.