A particularly intense day of hiking, taking me to the insane concentration of waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge.
This was the day I drove the least in the vehicle, only 136 miles, but walked the most on foot: over 40,000 steps accumulated across the various trails.
I set out very early in the morning from the motel in Vancouver, crossed the Columbia River back to its southern bank in Oregon, and entered the Historic Columbia River Highway.
The goal I set for myself today was clear: focus on the famous waterfalls and the descents into the canyon creek beds, alongside panoramic viewpoints from the basalt cliffs.
Important tip for travelers: I read in advance that due to the crazy popularity of the narrow historical highway and the waterfalls along it, a crowd-regulation system operates in the area. Starting from 9:00 AM, entering the corridor with a vehicle requires a pre-booked permit. Because I arrived very early, I passed the checkpoints before they began enforcing the restriction and encountered no blockages, but if you plan a visit here, it is mandatory to check the need for booking an entry permit in advance based on your arrival hours.
Although rain wasn't falling at those moments, the skies were heavily overcast, hinting that I might not get to see a clean, beautiful sunrise over the gorge. I decided to press forward to the first viewpoint anyway.
The First Viewpoints Over the Gorge
The first stop of the morning was at the Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint. This is the stopping point where you get the most famous and iconic postcard frame of the Vista House sitting on the edge of the cliff in the distance. Because of the heavy clouds covering the horizon in the east, there wasn't a colorful sunrise like in the official photographs, but the view of the dramatic gorge at such an early hour was beautiful and impressive in its own right.
From there, I continued on a short drive to the Vista House at Crown Point. This historic building, built in 1918 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and a rest stop for travelers, is constructed of stone and perfectly positioned on a sheer basalt cliff about 720 feet above the water. It provides a wide, powerful panoramic look at the massive river channel stretching in both directions.
I made a quick stop there for photos and immediately returned to the vehicle to reach the main destination of the morning before the crowds arrived.
The Waterfall Chain of the Historic Scenic Highway
I continued driving slowly and carefully on the narrow, winding road that passes through a green, thick, and damp forest. The waterfalls in this area begin to appear one after the other right on the side of the road.
In this section, I chose not to physically stop for photos, but simply to enjoy the driving experience: an old, winding road with ancient, architectural concrete bridges crossing creek channels, with forest walls and waterfalls rising on one side and the edge of the cliff opening up to the river on the other.
It is a stunningly beautiful route, and no picture can fully convey its atmosphere.
Multnomah Falls and the Trek to the Upper Canyon
I arrived at the parking lot of Multnomah Falls at six thirty in the morning.
The lot was almost completely empty, with only three other cars there. This is a massive advantage, as by midday this place becomes an impossible bottleneck and there is no chance of getting a vacant parking spot.
This is the famous, most photographed, and tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon, dropping in two tiers from an immense height of about 620 feet. The sight of the plunging water, with the picturesque stone Benson Bridge suspended exactly at the transition point between the upper and lower falls, is a scene not to be missed.
Thanks to the early hour, the place was completely empty of visitors, and I could set up my camera and comfortably shoot a clean frame without crowds of people in the background.
After taking photos at the base of the waterfall, I set out on a long, challenging walk up the trail. The path is paved and climbs steeply through a series of sharp switchbacks inside the forest. The first stop on the climb is Benson Bridge itself.
Crossing the bridge allows you to stand right above the raging lower falls and feel the cold water spray on your face.
From the bridge, I continued the serious, continuous climb toward the upper section of the cliff. At the top of the high ascent, you reach a small wooden and concrete viewing platform built right over the lip of the falls, from which you can look directly down into the abyss and at the water bursting from the channel and plunging into the valley, a crazy vantage point that should not be missed.
I didn't stop at the viewpoint but kept marching deeper into the forest along the creek bed above the falls via the Wahkeena Trail.
In this area, you can clearly see the signs of the massive wildfire that struck the gorge several years ago; many giant trees were burned, and as a result, the canyon creek bed is exposed in its full topographical power.
The trail leads along the water and allows you to see a series of powerful waterfalls that carved their way into the basalt cliffs:
Dutchman Falls: A small, beautiful tiered waterfall flowing over wide basalt rocks.
Wiesendanger Falls: An impressive, sheer 50-foot waterfall dropping into a hidden pool.
Ecola Falls: The upper waterfall in this sequence, rushing and surrounded by vegetation recovering from the fire.
I continued walking on the Wahkeena Trail, which started with another serious ascent and then transitioned into a sharp downhill trend toward a neighboring creek channel, where another series of spectacular waterfalls was revealed: the picturesque Fairy Falls, where the water fans out across a stepped rock wall, and the rushing Wahkeena Falls at the bottom of the channel.
From there, after completing the large loop in the forest, I returned along the same path, climbing up and down again back to the starting point of Multnomah Falls.
In total, I completed a continuous hiking route of nearly 8 miles with an accumulated elevation gain of 2,300 feet, an exhausting trek that took me just under four hours.
When I returned to the bottom of Multnomah Falls at twelve o'clock noon, the scene was completely different: the site was flooded with hundreds of people, the parking lot and the historic lodge area were packed and heavy with vehicles, and everything felt very crowded and touristy. I was extremely glad about the decision to arrive early.
An important note for travelers: If you arrive during a crowded hour and there is no parking on the historical highway, know that there is an option to park your vehicle in a large parking lot located in the center of Interstate 84 (I-84), which has direct access from both driving directions of the highway. From there, an organized walking path leads through an underground tunnel beneath the train tracks directly to the waterfall plaza, without getting tangled in the traffic jams of the narrow road.
Exactly when I returned to the vehicle, the weather changed completely and radically.
The rain front moved east, the clouds scattered entirely, and the skies turned blue and clear, alongside a noticeable warming of the air.
These were perfect conditions for walking on foot, though a funny thought crossed my mind that it was a shame this hadn't happened yesterday when I climbed Mount St. Helens inside a blizzard and couldn't see a yard ahead…
Oneonta Gorge and the Trek to Triple Falls
I continued driving east along the gorge and arrived at Oneonta Gorge.
I stopped near the bridge overlooking the narrow, deep fissure. The inner trail that goes inside the water has been completely closed in recent years due to landslide and safety hazards following the major fire damage.
This place sparked memories: about 15 years ago, when we lived in Portland, I took the kids inside this narrow canyon. The experience there was crazy; there isn't much of a trail, you just climb over rocks and tree trunks, walking and even swimming right inside the freezing river water within a narrow rock crack, with the basalt walls closing in on you from above, until you finally reach a hidden, massive waterfall. A special family experience that is never forgotten.
From there, I continued to Horsetail Falls, a beautiful waterfall that received its name due to its shape resembling a horse's tail, and it plunges powerfully right adjacent to the highway parking lot.
I didn't settle for a view from the road and set out on another hiking trail that climbs from the parking lot into the depths of the cliffs.
After a short climb in the forest, I reached the unique Ponytail Falls.
The trail here actually crosses right behind the water stream, inside a natural cavern carved into the rock wall, allowing you to look at the waterfall from the inside out. I continued with the trail, which led to an impressive overlook hanging at a high elevation above the wide Columbia River.
From this point, the trail penetrates deeper into a narrow canyon and crosses the creek channel on a suspended iron bridge located right above the middle falls, Middle Oneonta Falls.
The trail enters a serious, continuous climb until it reaches the viewpoint facing Triple Falls.
This is a unique and spectacularly beautiful waterfall, where the water stream splits perfectly into three separate falls plunging side by side into the abyss. The previous time I visited this point was 15 years ago; I hiked here completely alone in the midst of a winter snowstorm, many years before the recent fire consumed and altered the existing forest.
After a long stop in front of the three waterfalls, I returned along the same trail back down to the road and the parked vehicle.
In total, the walk on this trail spanned about 7 miles with an accumulated elevation gain of about 2,000 feet, taking me about 3 hours of strenuous marching.
The Trail of Wahclella Falls
My next stop was the parking area leading to the Wahclella Falls Trail.
I set out for a walk along a charming and relatively comfortable trail that passes through the bottom of a large, enclosed canyon surrounded by massive rock walls. The trail ultimately reaches an extraordinarily powerful waterfall that carves a narrow, steep slot inside the black basalt rocks and churns with immense force into a very large, deep pool of water.
I really wanted to jump in for a refreshing swim in this natural pool, but a glance at the clock made it clear that I was quite short on time for the rest of the day, and since there were also quite a few other hikers in the area, I skipped the dip and moved on.
Bonneville Lock and Dam, the Powerhouse, and the Fish Hatchery
Right across from the trailhead of Wahclella Falls is the entrance to the Bonneville Lock and Dam.
I stopped to visit this massive hydroelectric dam complex that blocks the Columbia River and supplies electricity to the entire region.
The visitor center here is huge and built in a very impressive manner. I went down to the basement level, where large underground viewing windows are installed, allowing you to see the fish moving up the river through the special fish ladders built for them to bypass the dam. Although mid-May is considered a relatively weak and slow period for fish migration, I still managed to see several massive salmon fighting the current and moving up.
From there, I continued to a tour of the adjacent powerhouse building.
This is a highly impressive engineering sight; standing in the upper gallery and looking down at the row of giant turbines rotating under the power of the water, and thinking that an identical, monstrous structure sits on the other side of the river, within the territory of Washington State.
The final stop in the complex was at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery.
It was very interesting to wander among the open concrete ponds filled with masses of fish at various stages of growth, but the main attraction there is in a large side pond surrounded by vegetation: that is where the giant sturgeon swim, massive, prehistoric fish that reach a crazy length of about 10 feet, looking like freshwater monsters sailing slowly just beneath the surface of the water.
Summary of the Columbia Gorge and Driving to Silver Falls
Here ended my visit along the Columbia River Gorge.
There are tons of other places, viewpoints, and hidden waterfalls to visit in this crazy region, both on the southern bank in Oregon and on the northern bank belonging to Washington State; it is simply impossible to fit it all into one trip.
Because I lived in the Portland area in the past and knew the places well, I didn't feel a sense of missed opportunity, and I knew I would focus on the next destinations of the journey.
Recommendations for other travelers planning a route in the area
If you have time, it is highly recommended to spend at least two full days in the gorge area.
You should continue east along the river to the windsurfing town of Hood River, and from there head south on the amazing Highway 35 that climbs toward the tall, snow-capped Mount Hood.
Also, do not miss the north side of the river, within Washington State, which offers wild landscapes and excellent trails.
Here are some prominent points of interest on the north side of the river and deep in the mountains toward Mount St. Helens that are worth integrating:
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site: A reconstructed historic site of the original Hudson's Bay Company trading post.
Cape Horn Overlook: A dramatic cliff viewpoint above the river on the Washington side.
Hike to Beacon Rock: A massive basalt monolith whose summit you can climb via a suspended staircase built onto the cliff face.
Columbia Gorge Museum: A beautiful museum focusing on the history of the gorge in the town of Stevenson.
Panther Creek Falls: A hidden and stunningly beautiful waterfall in the heart of the national forest.
Red Mountain Fire Lookout: An old fire lookout tower providing a panoramic view across the volcanic mountains in the area.
Guler Ice Caves: Underground lava tube caves where ice stalactites are preserved throughout the year.
Lower Lewis River Falls: An exceptionally wide and powerful waterfall located deep within pristine forests.
Ape Cave Interpretive Site: One of the longest continuous lava tubes in North America, allowing a long walk in the belly of the earth. In the past, I visited here twice and I remember the long walk of several hours in the lava tunnel as a truly special experience. From what I understand, booking an entry entry reservation is required nowadays.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, I finished the visit to the dam area and needed to drive toward my lodging and the destination for tomorrow morning's trip: Silver Falls State Park.
I consciously chose to bypass the city of Portland and not enter it; at this hour of 5:00 PM, the city's access roads are completely packed with heavy end-of-the-workday traffic jams, and I had absolutely no interest in spending time standing in crowded gridlock.
Since I lived inside the city in the past and visited it again about 5 years ago, I allowed myself to skip it this time without feeling regret, and we will save the city for future times.
I cut through side roads southeast and arrived at Silver Falls State Park right around the sunset hours.
I entered the park's beautiful, well-maintained campground, settled in comfortably for a good dinner across from the vehicle, and enjoyed spending the time slowly and peacefully as the light faded into the quiet night of the forest.
This was the end of the ninth day of the journey, a day dedicated entirely to the wild power of the waterfalls, canyons, and unique landscapes of the great Columbia River. Tomorrow, a completely different chain of waterfalls awaits me.
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