Kalama Falls

Cowlitz County, Washington

Your visit at a glance

Waterfall height: Not recorded
Location: Cowlitz County, Washington
Access status: Road walk and trail in a state wildlife area; Discover Pass required
The walk: Oregon Hikers lists this route as 4.6 miles round trip
Ground & access: Gravel road and forest trail with modest climbing. WTA calls the trails from the bluff primitive and difficult; the path down to the river is narrow and rooty.

Oregon Hikers Field Guide: Kalama Falls via Road 7500 Hike

Kalama Falls is a single main plunge of the Kalama River into a large pool, in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Merrill Lake Wildlife Area west of Mount St. Helens. WTA says the falls and trails are public access. There is no vehicle access into the unit, so park at the gate and walk the gravel road. Stay on the main road past an information kiosk at a junction. Where the road flattens, the Kalama Falls Trail crosses it; Oregon Hikers suggests taking the trail, which skirts an old lava flow and returns to the road. Walk left about 40 yards to a sign reading Kalama Falls Trail near the road bridge over Merrill Lake Creek, and follow that trail through old-growth trees to the bluff above the falls. A narrow, rooty path leads down to the riverbank for closer views. Return the same way or by the road.

Plan your visit

Gated former Weyerhaeuser Road 7500 off Forest Road 81, through the Merrill Lake Wildlife Area, then the Kalama Falls Trail to the bluff above the falls

Oregon Hikers gives 4.6 miles round trip with 350 feet of elevation gain for the Road 7500 route, which uses trail for part of the way. WTA says the road route ends just before a single-lane concrete bridge, where a 0.25-mile footpath goes to the falls.

Gravel road and forest trail with modest climbing. WTA calls the trails from the bluff primitive and difficult; the path down to the river is narrow and rooty.

Where to start

Large gated pullout on the west side of Forest Road 81, about 7 miles north of State Highway 503 near Cougar. Park to the side and do not block the gate.

Timing & water

Oregon Hikers lists the season as spring into fall. WTA says the falls flow year round.

Before you go

A Discover Pass is required to park. Oregon Hikers says camping is not allowed in the wildlife area.

Visitor information

Visit sources

More waterfalls nearby

Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.

Explore Washington

Waterfall location

Cowlitz County, Washington.

Open location map