Clackamas + Memaloose Falls

The South Fork Clackamas and Memaloose Falls hike offers more than enough special features to offset any trouble you may have finding the trailhead. Once you navigate NF-45 to the destination, you will be welcomed by rope-assisted descents and climbs, waterfalls, and the ruins of waterworks efforts that include an old log bridge and tunnels up to 100 yards long. 

This adventure begins with a leisurely path through the woods that may lull you into thinking this is a simple 3-mile, there-and-back hike. However, after a short distance into the hike you'll reach a steep hillside that will likely be muddy. Luckily, you can navigate up and down the steep area using ropes that past hikers have tied to sturdy trees along the route. You'll find a photographer's paradise once descend into the Memaloose Creek canyon, including a log-jammed river, an amazing amount of moss, three separate waterfalls that have drops of up to 120 feet, and the relics along the route from past tunneling and waterworks development efforts. 

These efforts began in 1915, when the South Fork Water Board started routing water from Memaloose Creek and South Fork Clackamas to Oregon City and West Linn. The project was expanded years later with help from the Works Progress Administration, and the main intake was moved upstream above the falls in 1939. The project involved miles of pipe and the construction of the tunnels you see today.

The area is remote, and you'll likely find that to be a good thing. While you won't find restrooms or a charging station for your phone, you will certainly find secluded campsites, innumerable angles for waterfall photos, and lots of peace and quiet.