Hike to Majestic Waterfalls in Oregon

People from around the world come to explore Crater Lake National Park. But if that’s your only stop, you’re missing out on some majestic waterfalls. Three beautiful waterfalls in Oregon are a short hike from the main road that goes through the town of Prospect.

Here’s a rundown on the short hikes to explore the three waterfalls in the area. You can learn more about Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint, too.

Hike to Mill Creek Falls

The Crater Lake Highway – otherwise known as Highway 62 – stretches from Medford, Oregon, up to the south entrance of Crater Lake National Park. Roughly 30 miles from Crater Lake is the town of Prospect. You can access the town from the south by turning off Highway 62 on Prospect Access Road, then taking a left on Mill Creek Drive.

The trailhead for Mill Creek and Barr Creek Falls is less than one mile up that road. The free parking area has room for about 25 vehicles. There’s also a large wooden billboard that serves as an area map for the hiking trails and waterfalls. Once you’re parked, grab your water and camera and head south to meet the trail.

Mill Creek Falls is roughly .50 miles from the trailhead. When the trail splits, you’ll want to take a right to head to the falls. You can go left later to access the Avenue of Boulders. The trail is slightly downhill, but nothing major. It’s a well-worn trail, so it’s perfect for families or those less mobile. Although I’m not sure a wheelchair would work well on this trail – strollers, probably.

Mill Creek Falls is 173 feet tall. There are so many trees in the area, that we weren’t able to see the entire height of the falls. But it had a lot of water running over it in early July. After checking out Mill Creek Falls, continue south for Barr Creek Falls.

Beautiful Barr Creek Falls

Barr Creek Falls is even taller than Mill Creek Falls, coming in at 240 feet tall. The space is more open from the viewpoint (which is only .25 miles from the Mill Creek Falls viewpoint), so you’re able to see the entire waterfall and the pools below.

Parents will want to keep a close eye on their kids at both viewpoints along the trail. The valley below is deep, and a wrong step by someone getting too close to the edge could be catastrophic.

From a photography standpoint, I had a challenging time photographing Barr Creek Falls because the sun was out in force, casting harsh shadows on the area, while brilliantly lighting up others. The photo above is HDR (High-Dynamic Range), so five separate photos to help lighten the darks and darken the lights.

After spending some time at this overlook, backtrack toward the fork in the trail so you can access the Rogue River and the Avenue of Boulders.

Hike to Avenue of Boulders

The trail to the Avenue of Boulders is a little more challenging. Strollers would become more problematic as the trail narrows and descends to the Rogue River. At one point, the trail split again, taking you further down stream or up to house-sized boulders that have fallen into the riverbed.

The Avenue of Boulders is a playground of sorts. I know my sons would love climbing and jumping around all the boulders. The upper portion doesn’t offer as many swimming holes as the lower portion, so if you want to play in the water, heading downstream would be your best option.

We had not brought swimsuits to be able to get into the water. Plus, that water is pretty cold and I don’t do well with even mildly cold water. You could sunbathe on a rock, or swim in a pool of water from the river. But please be careful if you have young children with you. The river is not forgiving.

If you can find a spot to cross the river at the right spot, you can continue along a trail to Pearsoney Falls. We couldn’t find the connecting point, so we headed back to the car to access the trailhead to another majestic waterfall in Oregon.

Nature Hike to Pearsoney Falls

The trailhead for Pearsoney Falls is in the south end of town. It’s one mile along Mill Creek Drive from the Mill Creek and Barr Creek Falls trailhead. The parking area fits about 30 cars. There’s also a restroom, so you can make a quick stop before heading out on the trail.

The 1.2 mile roundtrip nature trail is very accessible. The trail is well maintained and wide, allowing strollers most of the way. There are posts that name certain plants or trees, so you’re able to learn the names of what you’re seeing.

Pearsoney Falls is a 12′ tall waterfall, but is wider than what the other two waterfalls are. It was beautiful to photograph it, although the time of day and the splotchy shadows made it a little more challenging to do so. As you continue down the trail from the waterfall, you can get a higher view of the Avenue of Boulders.

A little further down the trail, you can descend down a somewhat steep trail to the Rogue River. We couldn’t find a safe spot to cross and travel over to Mill Creek Falls or Barr Creek Falls. So we turned around and returned to the car.

The Details

Address: Located roughly 25 miles southwest of Crater Lake National Park along Highway 62 in the town of Prospect, Oregon.

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