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Tamolitch Falls

A Waterfall Only Now and Then, But Magical at Any Time

Waterfall on McKenzie River in Willamette NF, Cascade Range near McKenzie Bridge, OR

A few thousand years ago, a lava flow poured into the valley of the McKenzie River, incinerating the forest and covering the river. Because the gravel and rocks under the lava are loose and porous, the river continues to run through the gravel in the old riverbed underground, and it emerges in the blue pool at Tamolitch. During times of high runoff, the river starts to flow on the surface as well as underground, and then Tamolitch becomes a true waterfall.

An easy trail leads from spur road 655 along the river to Tamolitch Pool. Along the trail there are some tree casts – hollow tubes where hot lava surrounded tree trunks, which burned away and left a round hole in the rock. The river along this stretch is fed by springs in Tamolitch Pool, and because it very seldom floods, and it carries virtually no sediment, the river has no gravel bars and plants grow right to the water’s edge.

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On Wikipedia

The Tamolitch Falls was a waterfall on the McKenzie River in Linn County, Oregon. It was located in the Willamette National Forest. In the 1960s, water was diverted for hydroelectric use from the stream above the falls; that section of the stream, as well as the falls, ceased to flow except during periods of heavy runoff or when water was diverted from the dams upstream. When this is not the case,…

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Caution: the water in Tamolitch pool is very, very cold. People have died when jumping from the lip of the dry waterfall into the deep, cold water below. If it’s a hot day and you’re thinking of jumping into the pool, try climbing down and taking a dip first. Use the far side, shown on the right in the first picture, above. The frigid water will take your breath away.

Tamolitch is becoming a popular place with hikers, and with mountain bikers riding the McKenzie River Trail. If you prefer a quiet experience, go on a weekday, or off-season.

Taxonomy

Classified As

Waterfall

Waterbody

McKenzie River

River