Skip to content
White River Falls State Park, The Dalles, OR

Photo: Bobjgalindo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

White River Falls State Park

A day-use state park in north central Oregon centered on a 90-foot waterfall that drops over a basalt shelf.

The Dalles, OR

About White River Falls State Park

White River Falls State Park is a day-use park in north central Oregon, located about 35 miles south of The Dalles. A short walk from the parking area leads to an overlook of the falls. A steeper, rougher trail of roughly seven-tenths of a mile descends into the canyon to a historic hydroelectric plant at the base of the falls and continues to Lower White River Falls. The plant was one of Oregon's early hydroelectric facilities and supplied power to Wasco and Sherman Counties from 1910 to 1963. Spring usually brings the strongest flow, while late summer and fall can reduce the falls to a trickle. Swimming is discouraged because of strong, unpredictable currents.

  • #waterfall
  • #hiking
  • #canyon
  • #historic hydroelectric plant
  • #day use

What's around here?

The closest stops to White River Falls State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Deschutes River Adventures

    $50+

    Guided and self-guided whitewater rafting trips on the Deschutes River near Maupin, Oregon.

    4.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    River Drifters

    $50+

    Guided whitewater rafting trips on the Deschutes, Rogue and Owyhee rivers out of Maupin, Oregon.

    4.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums

    Dufur Living History Museum

    Check prices

    A small-town museum in Dufur, Oregon, displaying historic farming tools and information about pioneer-era life.

    15 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Columbia Hills Historical State Park

    Under $25

    A Columbia River Gorge state park of shrub-steppe hills, river shoreline, and Native American petroglyphs and pictographs.

    28 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Deschutes River State Recreation Area

    Check prices

    Tree-shaded riverside state park where the Deschutes River meets the Columbia, offering camping, hiking, biking, horse trails, and fishing.

    29 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Cottonwood Canyon State Park

    Check prices

    Rugged desert canyon park on the lower John Day River with cliffs, grasslands, river access, camping, and dark-sky viewing.

    34 mi awayMore like this