The Avenue of the Boulders is located on Mill Creek Drive, the scenic road that parallels Hwy 62 into the quaint town of Prospect. At this location the Rouge River drops some 75 feet and creates truly spectacular water scenery as the water flows down and around these magnificent boulders. The Avenue can be viewed directly from the Mill Creek Drive Bridge where it crosses the Rogue River. For the slightly more adventurous, trek down the well-maintained Mill Creek Falls Trail. At the bottom of the trail turn left, and you will see the Avenue of the Boulders. If you were to turn right and travel just a short distance you would come to Mill Creek Falls (175 ft. high) and Barr Creek Falls (over 200 ft. high). For another perspective, go back to Mill Creek Dr. Turn right, then from the parking lot across from the gas station, take the trail to Pearsony Falls (not nearly as tall as the others, but still worth seeing). Further down the trail you will come to the edge of a 100 ft. tall cliff with a view of the Avenue of the Boulders from above.
The Avenue of the Boulders was created at the same time as Crater Lake was formed, after the collapse of an ancient volcano posthumously named Mt. Mazama. This volcano violently erupted approximately 7,700 years ago with a blast 42 times as powerful as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. When Mt. Mazama blew, it deposited ash in what would later be eight states and two Canadian provinces. It blew huge, room sized boulders 20-some miles to present-day Prospect.
Next Up: #87 – Union Creek Resort