Wahkeena Falls

To Reach (From Portland):

Take I-84 eastbound to exit 28 (Bridal Veil) and turn left along the old Columbia River Highway.  Continue 2.6 miles to the Wahkeena Falls Picnic Area on the right.

The Trail:

The trail leaves directly from the Columbia River Highway, crossing a small bridge, then climbing to a stone bridge below 242-foot Wahkeena Falls.  The trail is paved at first, then gravel, before eventually turning to dirt.   You'll pass lovely Fairy Falls, and reach the turn-off to Angel's Rest just shy of Wahkeena Spring.

You'll climb steadily for slightly less than three miles, first parallelling, then crossing the creek, then follow the trail to the left where it forks, crossing the creek.  Take the trail to Larch Mountain here, continuing past the next turn-off up to the summit (don't follow it).  

You'll now follow Multnomah Creek, as it passes over three waterfalls, including the showcase of the Columbia River Gorge, 542-foot Multnomah Falls.  You can take a short side trail to the left to a lookout over the masses of tourists at Multnomah Falls below as the trail turns to asphalt, leading you down a crowded trail to the base of the Falls.

Here you can experience the only hike in the gorge to offer espresso, ice cream, and sno-cones to cool you off before you follow the gravel trail parallelling the Columbia River Highway back to your car.

Our Take:

This is a very peaceful alternative to the masses at Multnomah Falls.  Wahkeena Falls is beautiful, and the trail is enjoyable.  There are few views along this trail, but there are lovely forest plants, creeks, and several waterfalls.  There were many less people on this stretch of trail than we expected, but that changed when we reached Multnomah Falls.  There were cars lined up down the freeway, waiting for a place to park, lines into the parking lot for ice cream at the lodge, and tourists aplenty.  It was still a nice trip, though. 

Waterfalls of the Wahkeena Falls Trail

Wahkeena Falls	Fairy Falls	Upper Multnomah Falls
Ecola Falls	Weisendanger Falls	Dutchman Falls
Little Multnomah Falls	Multnomah Falls	Lower Multnomah Falls

SEE SLIDE SHOW NOW!!

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