Dillon Falls is a short waterfall and whitewater rapid on the Rogue River in Jackson County, Oregon, just north of Gold Hill. The main drop measures 10 feet, and the rapid is also known as Nugget Falls, one of two named drops near the end of the Rogue River run from the old Gold Ray Dam site to Gold Hill.
The falls
The river squeezes into a narrow channel just above the main drop, then spills into a calm pool, followed by two standing waves. Whitewater difficulty is rated between Class III+ and Class IV, with paddlers often taking the left channel.
Getting there
The falls are reached by boat. The rapid sits at mile 3.8 of the 5.7-mile run from the former Gold Ray Dam to the Gold Hill Boat Ramp, with an access point on river right at the base of the rapid. Public bank access and parking right at the falls are not documented.
When to go
Runnable flows span 800 to 3,000 cfs on the Rogue River gauge at Raygold near Central Point.
On site
In an April 2026 trip report, a packrafter recounted that the short turbulent section flushes a swimmer out quickly, though his raft flipped in a sideways wave at the bottom on the first run before an easy portage around the drop allowed a clean second run.
History and name
Former names include Nugget Falls, Hatrue Falls and Tolo Falls.
Nearby
Ti'lomikh Falls, also called Powerhouse Rapid, is about 1.3 miles downstream, just above the Gold Hill take-out. Farther afield are Jumpoff Joe Creek Falls, about 18.8 miles away, and Butte Falls, about 24.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.