The purchase marks a transition for the site from private stewardship to public management.
The site is notoriously difficult to reach, requiring travel on rough, unpaved roads and a steep hike so treacherous that previous visitors have left ropes for assistance.
The Abbey Foundation eventually accepted the state's offer, noting that they wanted to ensure proper professional stewardship for the property after over a century of private ownership. buy waterfall
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is conducting due diligence, including environmental reviews, before final acquisition.
While the state has secured the purchase funds, transforming Abiqua Falls into a safe public park may require significant additional investment for road and trail improvements. The purchase marks a transition for the site
The listing caught the attention of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. House Majority Leader (D) and State Senator Fred Girod (R) led a bipartisan push to ensure the waterfall remained accessible to the public. By March 2026, Oregon legislators approved $2.1 million in state funding to purchase the falls and its surrounding land. Future as a Public Park
An iconic Oregon waterfall was put up for sale on Redfin. ... - Yahoo The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is conducting
In early 2024, the property, a 92-foot vertical drop over stunning columnar basalt cliffs, appeared on the mainstream real estate site Redfin. While it had been open to the public for generations, the land was actually privately owned by the Abbey Foundation of Oregon , a nonprofit supporting Benedictine monks. The foundation listed the 40-acre lot as an "open auction," with no set price, sparking widespread fear among Oregonians that a private buyer might close access to the beloved site. Bipartisan Intervention