Salt Creek Falls, on Salt Creek in Oregon’s Willamette National Forest near Willamette Pass, is one of the best-known waterfalls in the southern forest. Its 286-foot main plunge into a steep volcanic canyon makes it Oregon’s third-highest plunge waterfall, with a deep pool below and a notably even crest formed by large boulders at the lip. The falls developed after the last glacial period, when retreating glaciers, upstream lakes, and later lava flows shaped the canyon and exposed columnar basalt. First recorded by Frank S. Warner and Charles Tufti in March 1887, the falls take their name from salty springs downstream used by wildlife as mineral licks.