Located about 15 miles up the Siuslaw River from Florence, at the head of the river’s tidewater, Mapleton was thought to be named for its many big-leaf maples. Residents live along the river and in adjacent valleys, and the Mapleton Boat Ramp is a popular place during the salmon and steelhead runs. A handful of stores and shops front Highway 126, the main east-west route between Florence and Eugene.