Lake Creek Falls is a 50-foot cascade on Lake Creek in Lane County, Oregon, dropping in three falls and bedrock slides about half a mile below the outlet of Triangle Lake.
The falls
The creek falls 50 feet in three tiers, with a tallest single drop of 25 feet, over bedrock slides below Triangle Lake. Fish ladders built in 1989 bypass each tier; a 2019-2020 study tracked adult coho salmon moving through them, with arrivals concentrated in late November and December that season after delayed rain.
Getting there
The Bureau of Land Management's Northwest Oregon District manages the site as Lower Lake Creek Falls, open year-round with no fee. Parking is on Highway 36, half a mile beyond Triangle Lake coming from Eugene. A roadside trail and stairs lead down to the falls and ladders, and the slide and swimming area is about 0.5 mile one way from the parking area, across the road.
When to go
Winter and early spring bring the strongest flow; summer is the season for swimming and the bedrock slide.
On site
Alcohol is prohibited, and pet leashes may be no longer than 6 feet. The swimming and slide area has no toilets or trash bins, and the approach can be wet and crosses a road.
History and name
Triangle Lake Falls is used as an alternate name, and The Washboard was the former name of the lower tier.
Nearby
Five Rivers Falls is about 11.2 miles away, Alsea Falls about 12.3 miles, and Green Peak Falls, on Peak Creek, about 12.9 miles.
Distances are straight-line.