Ever been to the tallest waterfall in the Coast Range?

TILLAMOOK, Ore. - For years my husband and I have been driving by a little sign off Highway 101 near Tillamook that directs folks to Munson Creek Falls.

And for years, we have been meaning to take the turn and check it out.  But as fate would have it, we are usually on our way to a campground with our RV in tow and the "no trailer turnaround" notice on the sign has deterred us.

But during a recent trip to Sand Lake, an ATV camp just outside of Tillamook, we found some time to slip away (sans trailer) and take a short drive back up Highway 101. 

"Our luck, it'll be closed," I told my husband and his brother, who had come along for the ride.  "Or it'll be like 30 miles from the turnoff."

Even so, I still wanted to go - partly to get a chance to shake the sand out of my shoes (have you ever been to Sand Lake?) - and partly to find some peace and quiet (again... have you ever been to Sand Lake?  All those ATVs and trucks with big tires are NOISY).

So off we went on our little adventure.  And it turned out I didn't need to be worried about a closure or the falls being too far away.

After taking the exit off Highway 101 and driving just a couple of miles up a semi-windy road, we ended up at the trailhead. And we were happy to see that the falls were just a short 1/4-mile hike away.

The trail was well-maintained and super easy.  Along the way, we followed a creek full of moss-covered stones and downed trees, passed by ferns dangling at the edge of the trail and stopped to look up at moss hanging off tree branches. 

And then, before we knew it, we reached the falls.  "Wow, that was worth a stop," we all decided.  And then I snapped a few photos, we stood there and looked at it for a minutes and started walking back. That's the thing about waterfalls - after the initial "ooh... ahh..." and some camera shots, there's not much else to do.  But they are definitely beautiful to look at and are always worth checking out.

Later on, I discovered that Munson Creek Falls is actually the tallest waterfall in the Coast Range, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.  I had no idea!

How To Get There

• Munson Creek Falls is located 6 miles south of Tillamook on Highway 101. 
• Head to Tillamook, take a left on Highway 101 and then look for the Munson Creek Falls sign (it'll be past the Air Museum).  You'll take a left off of Highway 101.
• Follow Munson Creek Road for two miles and it will dead-end at the entrance to the falls. 
• Park along the fence, lock your vehicle and head on up the trail.  There is no fee.