Sahalie Falls Loop

Sahalie Falls plunges 100 feet (30 m) over a lava dam and then tumbles 40 feet (12 m) in a series of cascades. The Sahalie Falls viewpoint is wheelchair accessible. Koosah Falls, one mile (1.6 km) east by trail, drops 70 feet (21 m) into a deep pool. Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls are located on the old "Clear Lake Cutoff" section of Highway 126. These falls mark the terminus of two thick flows of basaltic andesite lava that dammed Clear Lake and moved into the McKenzie River 3,000 years ago. The results are two breathtaking waterfalls with foaming white water cascades in between. Sahalie (or "Heaven") and Koosah (or "Sky") are Chinook Jargon words - part of a rudimentary trade language that allowed people to exchange news and goods in the area. The Kalapuya, Molalla, Sahaptain and Chinook peoples traveled and traded here, perhaps on their way to obtain obsidian in the high Cascades or to gather huckleberries.