Butte Creek is a bit of a hidden gem in WyEast Country, located on land managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and accessed via a maze of logging roads. Amid miles of clearcuts on both public and private lands in all directions, the ODF has set aside the steep canyon surrounding Butte Creek Falls and its smaller, upstream sibling – known unofficially as Upper Butte Creek Falls – for recreation. A short, but excellent trail leads to both waterfalls and makes for a fine family outing (albeit with some serious drop-offs at the main falls overlook).
It’s not coincidental that these waterfalls are near similar concentrations just to the south, along Abiqua Creek and famously, Silver Creek State Park. All three streams cascade in stairsteps over layers of Columbia River Basalt that flooded the region 16 million years ago, long before the Cascade Range we know today existed.
In 2020, this section of the Butte Creek watershed somehow dodged the Riverside Fire that swept across a wide swath of the Clackamas and Molalla River basins. As a result, it remains as a lush, green reminder of the importance of slowing the pace of human-caused wildfires.
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Image Description: Butte Creek flows over a wide basalt shelf in white curtain, dropping into a deep splash pool. The waterfall is surrounded by tall maples, alders, cedars and firs in dozens of shades of green. In the foreground, bright green leaves of Salmonberry complete the scene.
Photo © WyEast Images (2026)
WyEast Images 
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