About this spot
Jawbone Flats is a historic 1930s gold-mining camp on Opal Creek in the Opal Creek Wilderness, about 22 miles east of Salem via Highway 22 and Forest Road 2209 (roughly 1.5-2 hours from Portland, not from Brothers, Oregon as this listing's city tag suggests). The turquoise Opal Pool nearby is a well-known swimming and cliff-jumping spot in old-growth forest that narrowly escaped logging before the wilderness was protected in 1996. However, the entire area has been closed to public access since the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire; forest roads and trails are still being repaired, and the U.S. Forest Service does not expect a broader reopening before 2027. Treat this as currently off-limits, not a year-round destination.
Safety first. Cliff jumping is inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury or death. Conditions — water depth, submerged hazards, and access — change constantly. CliffScout is community-sourced reference information, not a guarantee a spot is safe. Always assess the conditions yourself before jumping, and never jump where you're unsure. You assume all risk.
Watch & read
- ▶ Watch — Opal Creek and Jawbone Flats - YouTube
- ▶ Watch — Corgi adventure: Jawbone Flats - YouTube
- ▶ Watch — The Opal Creek Trail To Jawbone Flats
- ▶ Watch — Luna's adventure at Jawbone Flats
- ◉ Instagram — Jawbone Flats/Opal Creek Instagram'da • Fotoğraflar ve Videolar
- ◉ Instagram — Hotel Guys в Instagram: «Rusty reminders of the Jawbone Flats...»
- ↗ Read — Jawbone Flats — guide & info
