Columnar Canyon Falls is a 125-foot waterfall on South Fork Whychus Creek in Deschutes County, Oregon, in the Cascades region. It lies about 12 miles southwest of Sisters and roughly 19.7 miles west of Bend as the crow flies.
At 125 feet it stands in the tallest quarter of Oregon’s 425 waterfalls with a recorded height, ranking 80th; the typical Oregon waterfall is about 54 feet. The tallest single drop is 100 feet. By form it is a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another, combined with a plunge character. It falls in 2 drops.
The Cascades are a high volcanic range of snow-capped peaks, deep glacial valleys and dense conifer forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock and true firs, with abundant rain and snow on the western slopes. Basalt cliffs and lava flows give the region one of the highest concentrations of waterfalls in the country. South Fork Whychus Creek carries 5 recorded waterfalls, and Columnar Canyon Falls is the tallest of them.
Deschutes County holds 62 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Lower Park Creek Falls, 20 feet high, is under a mile away. Mosaic Falls, a 35-foot tiered cascade waterfall, is under a mile away. Howlaak Falls, a 70-foot veiling plunge waterfall, is under a mile away.
Columnar Canyon Falls is located at 44.1495° N, 121.6906° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.