shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileOregon

on the upper McKenzie River, in the central Oregon Cascades

Sahalie Falls McKenzie River

— — the white the lava bed makes of the river.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“A hundred-foot drop on the upper McKenzie in the central Oregon Cascades. The river crosses a basalt bed left by a young lava flow and breaks white over the lip. The name comes from the Chinook Jargon word for high. Koosah Falls sits a half mile downstream; the Waterfalls Loop runs 2.6 miles through old-growth Douglas fir and western red cedar on both banks.

from the studio

— bring it home

Sahalie Falls McKenzie River, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Sahalie Falls McKenzie River

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Sahalie Falls drops about 100 feet on the upper McKenzie River, in the Willamette National Forest of the central Oregon Cascades. The pullout is on Highway 126, roughly five miles west of its junction with US-20 at Santiam Junction. The name comes from sáx̣ali, the Chinook Jargon word for high. The river crosses a basalt shelf laid down by a young lava flow from the Belknap Crater area; the same flow ponds the river upstream into Clear Lake, a few miles north along the same highway.

— informed by Wikipedia, USFS Willamette

— the water

The McKenzie above Sahalie runs cold and clear, fed mostly by springs out of the basalt. Summer flows hold around 1,000 cubic feet per second; the river temperature stays in the low forties year-round, which is why native bull trout use it. The falls themselves run loud and full in every season; spring snowmelt thickens the spray. Koosah Falls, the lower drop, falls another 70 feet a half mile downstream, and Clear Lake holds standing snags from the lava flow that dammed it.

— informed by USFS Willamette

— the visit

The Sahalie pullout has a paved viewpoint and railing within fifty feet of the parking lot, free of charge, open year-round, no permit. The Waterfalls Loop runs 2.6 miles through old-growth Douglas fir and western red cedar, connecting Sahalie and Koosah on both banks of the McKenzie. The trail is icy from December into March and a popular short walk the rest of the year. Restrooms are at the upper lot. The McKenzie River National Recreation Trail passes through and continues 26 miles downstream.

— informed by USFS Willamette

— where

United States · Linn County, Oregon

— within

Willamette National Forest

— position

44.3480° N · 121.9990° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

5 km N

Clear Lake

lava-dammed lake

1 km S

Koosah Falls

waterfall

15 km E

Belknap Crater

shield volcano

12 km NE

Santiam Pass

Cascade pass

Sahalie Falls McKenzie River

Clear Lake

Koosah Falls

Belknap Crater

Santiam Pass

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sahalie Falls McKenzie River — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

About 100 feet. Koosah Falls, a half mile downstream on the same stretch of the McKenzie, drops another 70 feet. Both formed where the river crosses a young basalt lava flow.

Sahalie is the Chinook Jargon word for high. The Chinook Jargon was a trade language used widely across the Pacific Northwest in the nineteenth century. Koosah, the lower falls, means sky.

On Highway 126 in the central Oregon Cascades, about five miles west of the junction with US-20. The falls sit within the Willamette National Forest along the upper McKenzie River.

The upper river is fed almost entirely by springs that flow out of basalt beds from a young lava field. Water emerges near forty degrees and holds that temperature year-round, supporting native bull trout.

The Waterfalls Loop runs 2.6 miles on both banks of the McKenzie, linking Sahalie and Koosah through old-growth Douglas fir and western red cedar. The McKenzie River Trail also passes through.

— about the piece in your home

Many of our buyers know the upper river well. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries the cold green water for someone who fishes between Carmen and Belknap.

The white-water and cedar-green palette sits well in Pacific Northwest cabin, mountain-modern, and biophilic rooms. It reads cleanly against unfinished cedar, walnut, or pale plaster.

A single Large fills most sofa walls. A 4-tile Mural reads the falls as one continuous drop; a 9-tile Mural anchors a great room at the scale of the gorge.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for splash-prone walls. The colour is infused into the ceramic and holds against steam and routine cleaning.

A microfibre cloth and warm water. No abrasives, no ammonia-based sprays. The thin glossy finish seals the surface and the colour sits below it.

Yes. Every piece in the atlas is painted in our Knoxville studio. The Sahalie piece was painted for this catalog only and is not licensed or resold.

— if this one stayed with you