Where to See Willamette Falls From West Linn This Fall, and What's Changing Around It
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
Old mill buildings still stand on the West Linn side of Willamette Falls, on land owned by PGE. The Willamette Falls Locks also sit on this side, and they have been closed to boats since 2011. So the city that shares the falls has no public front door to them. This fall, the best ways for a West Linn resident to get close are to walk east across the river or to get on the water.
That will be true for a while. This guide covers both routes and explains what has to happen before West Linn gets its own way in.
The plan for West Linn's side of the falls belongs to the Willamette Falls Trust. It's a nonprofit led by former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and guided by four tribes: the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. All four trace ancestral fishing at the falls and hold federal treaty rights to fish there. Brown has described public gathering places and recreational access. She has pointed to the High Line Network, a national group of industrial reuse projects, and the idea of "rewilding the built environment."
There's real money behind it. The Oregon Legislature gave the Trust $45 million in 2025, and with private fundraising the Trust now has nearly $100 million for the project. A large share of that is meant to buy the land under and around the closed Willamette Falls Paper Company mill. PGE and the private firm Belgravia Investments own that land.
The schedule depends on that land deal. The Trust and PGE signed a feasibility and cooperation agreement in 2023 and extended it in 2024. Brown had said she hoped to close a sale by early 2027. When The Oregonian asked for an update this summer, Trust spokesperson Michelle Cole declined to discuss the negotiations. "Anything too far out becomes speculative because it's a complex project," she said.
The locks have a separate timeline. The group working to reopen them has reported a target of partial reopening by 2029, possibly one day a week, and full operation by 2031. What "operation" will mean and how it will be funded are still unsettled. For this October, that means no locks tour, no open day, and no West Linn viewpoint at the water's edge. Everything below starts from that.
For anyone walking, biking, or rolling, the route to the falls is the Arch Bridge between West Linn and Oregon City. The I-205 project team directs foot and bike traffic to it during construction, noting the bridge's slower, quieter traffic. The West Bridge Trail is open, but crews are still working overhead, so expect short delays and flaggers.
Driving takes some planning this week. ODOT's Oct. 2 update lists overnight single-lane closures in both directions on OR 43 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday, Oct. 5 through Friday, Oct. 9. The northbound I-205 on-ramp from OR 43 also closes nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Daytime visits avoid all of it. The larger Abernethy Bridge seismic project is expected to finish in 2027 and includes pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements on OR 43.
Once you're across, Oregon City has the onshore views. Here's what each spot offers and what we could confirm about it as of early October 2026:
| Spot | What you get | What we could confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Willamette Falls Scenic Viewpoint, 120 McLoughlin Blvd. on OR 99E | Parking and the closest roadside look at the falls | The National Park Service lists it as closer to the falls than the I-205 overlook |
| McLoughlin Promenade | A 7.8-acre walking park on the bluff with river and falls views, plus a walkway and stairs over OR 99E to the Willamette River Viewpoint | Listed by Oregon City as connected to the Municipal Elevator |
| Oregon City Municipal Elevator observation deck | A high view over the river and downtown | OregonLive featured the deck in September 2026; Travel Oregon and an older 2022 guide list different hours, so check before you go |
| I-205 viewpoint near milepost 7.5 | A higher view of the falls and the bluffs around them | Listed by NPS; current access during freeway construction is unconfirmed |
A good loop from West Linn is to cross the Arch Bridge, take the elevator or the bluff stairs up to the Promenade, and walk the bluff toward the 99E viewpoint. On a gray October afternoon you get the falls, the river, and the edge of the mill buildings in one walk.
The closest view available right now is from the river. eNRG Kayaking runs a guided Willamette Falls paddle from Oregon City. It covers about two miles in 1.5 hours and costs $70 per person, with a two-person minimum. No experience is needed. Guides lead the group about a mile upstream, past the closed locks, to the falls. The company says it paddles in rain unless conditions are extreme, requires reservations, and may cancel for weather or low enrollment. The seasonal hours elsewhere on eNRG's site look out of date, so the booking page is the place to confirm October departures.
Paddling past the locks on the way up shows the West Linn side from the river. It's the stretch the Trust and the locks authority are trying to reopen.
If you'd rather not paddle, Portland River Tours offers private Willamette Falls boat trips for groups of 2 to 6 or 7 to 18. It lists them as available "All Day Every Day," with shared single-ticket trips on selected days. A private boat for out-of-town guests can show them the falls without anyone getting wet.
One date to put on the calendar is the Paddle and Potluck at Willamette Falls on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Willamette Riverkeeper and eNRG are hosting it. Paddlers launch from eNRG at Sportcraft Landing and head past the locks to the falls. The event page still says registration details would be announced over the summer, so check with the organizers before planning around it.
The Oregon City side is moving first, though slowly. Since 2017, the public has been told a riverwalk would bring people close to the falls. The original Willamette Falls Legacy Project stalled, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde left that partnership in 2022. The new version is a smaller partnership between Oregon City and Grand Ronde, funded by $12.5 million in state money. On July 30, the partners chose Maul Foster & Alongi to design and permit the next riverfront segment at tumwata village.
The first phase is planned as a 14-foot-wide multiuse path from OR 99E to a raised viewing structure that looks at the falls. Ryan Webb, Grand Ronde's engineering and community development manager, said the riverwalk will open in phases as tumwata village is built. The Oregonian's September report gave no opening date for that first phase.
At tumwata village itself, crews are locating and removing old underground tanks of industrial chemicals and contaminated soil. Two EPA grants totaling $4.8 million are helping pay for that work. The first planned buildings are a three-story retail, office, and event building, then a five-story residential building with about 85 units. Webb said groundbreaking on any new building is unlikely before 2028. Neither building has been designed or funded yet. Oregon City parks and recreation director Scott Archer put it simply. "People have not been able to access this for well over 100 years," he said.
So the order is fairly clear. Oregon City's riverwalk will open in phases over the next few years. West Linn's access depends on a land sale nobody will put a date on. The locks are aiming for the end of the decade.
There is one place this fall where the falls story is told on West Linn's side of the river. The Willamette Falls Heritage Area Coalition's Heritage in Focus community exhibit is at West Linn Historic City Hall through late fall 2026. Viewing hours are Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The coalition also has a virtual tour on its Explore page, which it suggests using as a guide when you visit heritage sites in person.
The Historic Willamette business district, closest to the falls, has its own October plans. Halloween in Willamette runs Oct. 31 from 3 to 6 p.m., with district businesses handing out treats, a scavenger hunt, and a photo booth. The district has also added some new businesses this fall. Bridgetown Chiropractic opened its first West Linn office at 1820 Willamette Falls Drive on Sept. 9. On Oct. 2, Green Velvet Head Spa held its grand opening at 1914 Willamette Falls Drive, alongside Lumiere Red Light Spa. If you want a slice after a bridge walk or a paddle, Fast Times Pizza opened Sept. 17 at 18750 Willamette Drive on Highway 43, in the former Backyard Burgers space next to Kartcade.
West Linn's side of the falls has its own plan in progress, but no public-access date yet. Until there is one, the closest views are from the bridge, the bluff, and the river.
At Spurlock & Co., we follow the falls projects because they'll shape life along the river for years. If you'd like to talk about what the Trust's plans could mean for the Willamette neighborhood and the homes along Highway 43, start a conversation with us.
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