As I mentioned in a previous post, one of that great things about Oregon is just about every possible location from beach to mountains is within reach of Portland, where I live. If you take an hour and a half drive to the West, you’re at the coast and a host of wonderful views of the Pacific and quaint beach towns. For an even more convenient adventure into nature, I like to spend a quick 20-25 minute drive east on I-84 which takes me out to the Columbia River Gorge and the “Historic Columbia River Hwy”. This stretch of highway is an excellent way to spend a lazy afternoon. First, once you get on the highway you’re greeted with winding roads – its a one lane each way road that can be a bit narrow – that during spring and summer are packed with lush green leaved trees and, if you’re lucky, are dappled by sunlight.
A bit of history is in order – the Columbia River Highway was the brainchild of Sam Hill (no.. not that Sam Hill!) and Samuel Lancaster – both of whom were visionaries in their time and made quite an impact on Oregon. Sam Hill was known for his vocal support of “good roads” and after enjoying the roads of the Rhine River Valley in Europe, he began working to get a highway installed along the Columbia River Gorge. Working with legislators and businessmen in Oregon the idea was adopted and work on the highway was started in 1913 and completed in 1922. Once finished, this became an important link between Portland and cities/towns further east. However, as the population grew and more and more tourist used the highway as a means to get from one place to another, it became evident that the highway would no longer be suitable for people to stop in the middle of the road to look at the large number of waterfalls that dotted the landscape.
Soon there was work being proposed and then finished to create a river level highway which is now I-84 and much of the Columbia River Hwy was left to languish, many areas becoming unusuable and dangerous. One particular section, the Mosier Twin Tunnels, was filled with rubble and abandoned – likely due to disrepair and its location in a rockfall zone. In time however, public opinion began to grow an idea to renovate much of the old highway back to its pre-1920 design and that has resulted in what we see today. A long winding road flanked on one side by rugged natural rock and the opposite cliff side protected by gorgeously designed stone fence structures, including some small pullouts and wonderful old stone bridges. Many areas that were lost to time were replaced and what was damaged was renewed, all using countless old photographs and schematics to ensure that the original feel and look to the masonry was kept intact. This includes the previously mentioned Mosier Twin Tunnels, which in July of 2000 was reopened to bike and foot traffic. More historical and current information about the highway can be found at the National Parks website, where I learned the info I’ve included.
The highway is easily one of my favorite “close to town” getaways and is generally accessible in any season – though winter can be tricky – and each season has its own delightful quirks.
I recommend visiting whenever you can, but I like the spring and summer best. Spring has the surrounding forests in full bloom so you are surrounded by greenery and the waterfalls are enjoying their highest and most powerful waters. Summer has the gorgeous hot days that are tempered nicely by the leafy overhang of the many trees and while water levels are lower as the summer wears on, the falls are still dressed to impress – the crowds can be a bit daunting for the most popular sites like Multnomah Falls in the summer, but there are trade offs to be made with everything.
If I don’t take the Historic Columbia River Highway (henceforth abbreviated as HCRH) directly from Troutdale then I’ll typically take I-84 to the Corbett Exit, winding my way uphill and meet the HCRH there. From that starting point its just a few minutes drive to my first stop – the Portland Women’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint. Here you can see the Columbia Gorge laid out before you to the east and get a lovely, if distant, view of Crown Point and the Vista House.
The next stop is the Vista House, a lovely structure found at Crown Point and only accessible from the HCRH (linked item for sale is not my art). Construction of the Vista House at Crown Point began in Dec. 29 of 1916 and was dedicated May 5, 1918. After falling into some disrepair, the Vista House was renovated (2001-2006) and rededicated on its anniversary, May 5, 2006. I do not recall if before the renovation began the Vista House was closed to the public - prior to the renovation I never saw the building open in my many visits to the site, but perhaps that was my bad luck. During the 5 year renovation the building was closed. Now, it is an absolute dream of a building, with its green and gold glazed tile roof and sandstone walls. Inside there is beautiful Alaskan Tokeen Marble and Kasota Limestone, even the windows which are steel framed with opalescent art glass promote the jewel-like image the Vista House has attained. The building is available for viewing all year round from the outside, however the inside is only open to the public on weekends, as weather permits, from 10am – 4pm. The gift shop is closed for the winter and reopens in spring. More complete information can be located at the Friends of Vista House (FOVH) website where I found much of the detailed renovation info.
Once you’ve taken in the extraordinary views both inside the Vista House and of the gorgeous Columbia River Gorge from the outside, its time to head down along the highway towards the first of many waterfalls. There are quite a few to be seen, most can be viewed very easily from the highway itself – however, the majority of them have parking areas that can accommodate a number of visitors – though a few, such as Shepperd’s Dell have just a small pullout along the side of the road. Though a small waterfall, I do recommend taking time to visit Shepperd’s Dell, more to marvel at the gorgeous stone bridge than the natural sights so keep an eye out for its little sign. With so many waterfall options, it would take forever to go through them all and I don’t have nearly enough photographic examples to support such an endeavor. With that said, I will touch on a select few.
The first on the list is Bridal Veil Falls. Now I like this stop on the trail the best for three reasons. First, the parking lot is off the main highway and is larger than most (though not as large as Multnomah Falls), second there are actually two view areas – one is a short loop along the cliffside that overlooks the Columbia River and has a few picnic benches and informational doohickeys, the other is a short hike downhill to some wooden steps and matching wooden bridge which is where the image associated with this section was taken and on the other side and back up a short stair area is a view of the actual full Bridal Veil Falls. The third reason, and possibly most important – this stop has a BATHROOM. I have no idea when the bathrooms are open or closed but this particular falls has a special place in my heart for always being open when I really have need of its facilities.
Next up is Wahkeena Falls, which means ‘most beautiful’ and was so named by a Yakima Indian tribe. It is a 242′ falls that at the lower end cascades over mossy jumbled rocks. The short hike to the lower end of the falls from the parking lot is VERY easy and an equally short hike leads to the bridge that crosses Wahkeena Creek not far away – it is very wet here so watch your cameras especially in the spring when the flow is at its highest. Following the very streep portion of the upper trail will lead you to both Necktie Falls and Fairy Falls. The hike to me is fairly strenous but I’m more of a casual hiker, that said, the view of Fairy Falls was worth my one and only hike to it. It is on my list to visit again and try to get some good images though it is tucked away in the forest.
Now for the big daddy of the Columbia River Gorge waterfalls, the most well-known of the bunch is Multnomah Falls, a two tiered waterfall that is said to draws over 2 million visitors a year. It is about 620 feet and the tallest waterfall in Oregon and has been noted to be the second tallest in the United States. On a nice day the place is incredibly packed, luckily there is quite a bit of parking all around the area – it is also one of the few waterfalls that are directly accessible from the freeway (I-84) and is easily done so from either direction. I’m not one for crowds so I like to go when its raining or really early in the morning so I can have the area all to myself (and all the other photographers). There are two well designated areas to view the falls from. One is the area adjacent to the road, this is a lovely area of stone with stairs and a large viewing platform of sorts. The Multnomah Falls Lodge is also accessed here – I have only been there once and it was for a very delicious Sunday brunch. Kind of spendy though. The falls of course, never fails to impress or please.
If you tire of viewing the falls from below, you can get a more immediate view by taking the paved path (a bit steep in places) up to the Benson Footbridge that is part of nearly ever iconic image of the falls. From here you get a more up close and personal view of the first tier. Plus all the kids love to turn around and wave at the people far below. From what I understand, this area also links into a number of different hikes that are available by continuing on the trail including an area at the top of the falls which has a view of ”Little Multnomah” a smaller cascade above the upper tier that isn’t visible from below. I think the trail turns from paved to plain dirt as you head further up, I don’t know for a fact though because I have never done any of those trails. Yes, I am a wimp.
Finally, one of the more powerful waterfalls on the trail, is the inspiring Horestail Falls. The sheer magnitude of water that hurtles down into its small pool always impresses me. It is a very accessible waterfall as well, as its practically right on the road. There is a small area for parking across the highway and one or two picnic benches near the falls. This particular falls gets its name for the shape of the water as it comes down, similar to how a horse’s tail looks. It also has an upper falls that is accessible by a trail and is called Ponytail Falls or Upper Horsetail Falls. This is a fantastic falls in all seasons – I haven’t noticed much change in the power of the water as we head into summer so there must be a great water source. If I-84 is passable during the winter when we have the frigid winds, Horsetail is a great winter falls to visit as you can access it more readily from what I consider the far end of the HCRH, near I believe the Ainsworth Exit. This means if the HCRH has slick/icy roads, you won’t have to deal with them nearly as long and I think without much in the way of hills or grades making it much safer to see an icy waterfall.
Well if you made it through this entire post – thank you for reading! There are so many places to see along the HCRH and I want to photograph them all, perhaps I’ll make it a project for this summer and I can share my results with youl. In the meantime I’ll probably be posting more on the Columbia Gorge, however this will be at river level from a couple of my favorite places with access to the riverbanks. I’ll try to keep it shorter next time too!
