Dec. 9, 2015: Multnomah Falls, Oregon

While spending some time in Portland we took a short 30 miles drive outside of Portland to see Multnomah Falls.  On the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge,  this fall is located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. This 611 foot tall roaring awe-inspiring cascade of icy water lets you experience the power and beauty of nature up close and with ease.  

According to the legend, Multnomah Falls was created to win the heart of a young princess who wanted a hidden place to bathe. Although you can see the top portion of the falls from the highway, to view both tiers you have to walk to the viewing area located in a carved-out opening in the rock face. Tilting your head up in the narrow rocky confines of the steep cliffs, you get a mind-boggling perspective on the sheer magnitude of the falls.

Paved trail to reach Benson Bridge, which spans the falls at the first tier’s misty base via a 45-foot-long footbridge that allows visitors to cross 105 feet above the lower cascade. The trail continues to a platform at the top of the upper falls where visitors get a bird’s-eye view of the Columbia Gorge and also of “Little Multnomah”, a small cascade slightly upstream from the “upper” falls, which is not visible from ground level.

The Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail starts at the falls and continues through the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge to Starvation Creek. The footbridge is named for Simon Benson, who financed the bridge’s construction in 1914 by Italian stonemasons. It was the middle of February when we were there, so we decided to do this walk when it wasn’t so cold and icy. Hope to get back someday and check it out. Sounds like an interesting thing to do.