Hike-in Required
No
ADA accessible
No
Guided tours
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Koosah Falls is the second of the three falls the McKenzie River makes in the first few miles from its headwaters in Clear Lake.  Koosah is a Chinook word interpreted as meaning either “sky” or “shining,” and both apply when the falls are considered against Sahalie Falls farther upstream.  Where Sahalie Falls rumbles away in a tight portion of the valley, hemmed in by basalt and old-growth, Koosah Falls works in a much more expansive area that is open to the sky and sun.  Koosah is a block falls, meaning it falls as one stream (Sahalie is segmented into two or three streams), and at 64 feet, Koosah comes in a close second to Sahalie in terms of height.  Both are gorgeous in their own way, of course; Sahalie seems enormous in its closed-in environment, and Koosah feels somewhat more appropriately scaled to its broader landscape.

Hike the short trail between Koosah Falls and Sahalie Falls to appreciate the comparisons for yourself.  The trail is less than a mile and sticks to the banks of one of the wildest sections of this incredible river.  It winds through beautiful old-growth Douglas fir, hemlock, cedar, and the lush understory of mosses and ferns.  The hike is excellent year-round, as are all the walks on the McKenzie River trail.  Like Sahalie Falls, the facilities at Koosah Falls are universally accessible and offer vault toilets and interpretive panels describing the geology of the area. 
 

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

High

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Incredible falls. Fully accessible walkway and views. Educational panels. Close to other adventures.

Cons

Crowds.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Features

Big vistas
Geologically significant
Old-growth forest
Waterfalls

Location

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Comments

07/07/2018
The falls are beautiful! Managed to catch a rainbow too!
07/17/2015
Lovely little waterfall with a nicely maintained trail.
Second Falls on our lunch hike and this was amazing. You can view the top then walk over and view the front in all it's glory. Very Photogenic Falls!
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