Columbia River Gorge waterfalls

Hi all,

next weekend I'll have a two/three days trip from Seattle to the Coulmbia
River Gorge and back passing through Mt Rainier.
Since time is anyway limited, I'm trying to write down a list of "not to be
missed" spots/short hikes along the Gorge.
Can anyone give me his/her personal Top-10 things to see along the Gorge?
One more question: I was browsing the internet for info about the best falls
to see along the Gorge and came out with a list (which I basically copied
and pasted from http://www.gorgeexplorer.com/hiking_waterfalls.htm ). Could
anybody tell me which of these fall are likely to be dry in this period?

Washington
Dog Creek Falls
Falls Creek Falls
Hardy Falls

Oregon
Latourell Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
Sheppard's Dell
Horsetail Falls
Ponytail Falls
Triple Falls
Metlako Falls
Punchbowl Falls
Tunnel Falls
Wah-kee-na Falls
Fairy Falls
Elowah Falls, McCord Creek Falls
Wahclella Falls
Multnomah Falls

Thanks a lot to everyone.

Ciao, Giulio

adjgiulio wrote:
the Coulmbia River Gorge

At the far end, on the Washington side near The Bridge of the Gods, is
the world-class Maryhill Museum of Art. Also in Maryhill is a
full-size Stonehenge.

A town or two to the West has the world's largest collection of
rosaries that I also recommend highly.
__________________________________________________ ___________
A San Franciscan who's visited 49 of 50 US states
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 IClast at SFbay Net

"adjgiulio" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

next weekend I'll have a two/three days trip from Seattle to the Coulmbia
River Gorge and back passing through Mt Rainier.
Since time is anyway limited, I'm trying to write down a list of "not to
be
missed" spots/short hikes along the Gorge.
Can anyone give me his/her personal Top-10 things to see along the Gorge?
One more question: I was browsing the internet for info about the best
falls
to see along the Gorge and came out with a list (which I basically copied
and pasted from http://www.gorgeexplorer.com/hiking_waterfalls.htm ).
Could
anybody tell me which of these fall are likely to be dry in this period?

Oregon
Latourell Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
Sheppard's Dell
etc.

I remember seeing a photo of Oneonta Falls, which is on the Oregon side and
only reachable in dry weather because it's in a narrow gorge of its own. The
walls of the gorge were lined with green moss. Since you're going in a low
water time, you might want to check this out. It looked unique.

Marianne

"adjgiulio" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

next weekend I'll have a two/three days trip from Seattle to the Coulmbia
River Gorge and back passing through Mt Rainier.
Since time is anyway limited, I'm trying to write down a list of "not to
be
missed" spots/short hikes along the Gorge.
Can anyone give me his/her personal Top-10 things to see along the Gorge?
One more question: I was browsing the internet for info about the best
falls
to see along the Gorge and came out with a list (which I basically copied
and pasted from http://www.gorgeexplorer.com/hiking_waterfalls.htm ).
Could
anybody tell me which of these fall are likely to be dry in this period?

Oregon
Latourell Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
Sheppard's Dell
etc.

I remember seeing a photo of Oneonta Falls, which is on the Oregon side and
only reachable in dry weather because it's in a narrow gorge of its own. The
walls of the gorge were lined with green moss. Since you're going in a low
water time, you might want to check this out. It looked unique.

Marianne

It rained a lot last week (over two inches) and is raining here now
(just south of Portland). The flow should be pretty good on all
waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge this weekend. Weather is supposed to be
nicer, too, after tomorrow.

I was up in the gorge last month after a pretty dry summer. There is no
danger of any of the waterfalls being absolutely dry, but many are
certainly more spectacular in the fall or after a good rain. It should
be no problem to hit a minimum of seven or eight waterfalls in a four
hour stretch (and check off several on your list), but a lot will depend
on how much you want to get in and out of the car. There are waterfalls
you can see from the window of your car, but I would also suggest
walking to a few of the others. Most of the waterfalls are on the Oregon
side, so I would start there for your first visit and save the
Washington side and some of the longer gorge hikes for future
exploratory trips. Here is the introductory gorge trip I usually do
with first-time visitors (twice in the last year):

-- Head east on I-84 and take the Corbett exit. This puts you on the old
Columbia River highway.
-- First stop (about 10 miles after exiting the freeway) is the Women's
Forum overlook. This will present
you with the first postcard picture of the gorge with Vista house in
the foreground.
-- Continue heading east another five minutes and stop at Vista house
(another Gorge overlook).
-- Drive for another 10 minutes and you are at the Latourell Falls
parking lot. I would recommend
pulling off for this one. Here you have a choice:
1) Walk a few hundred yards up a small hill for an overlook of
the falls,
2) walk a paved trail about .5 mile back to the falls itself.
Nothing gruelling here.
-- After leaving Latourell, you'll have an opportunity to see several
waterfalls in sequence,
but most will require parking and walking short distances (as I
said, a lot depends on
how much you want to get in and out of the car). I usually blow by
Bridal Veil
Falls and Sheppard's Dell because I've been to both of them before,
and opt for stopping
at Wahkeena Falls as my next stop. However, if you've planned your
day so that you
arrive around lunch, all of these spots have picnic tables and are
good places for a lunch break.
-- At Wahkeena, take the short (1/2 mile) walk up to the bridge, which
puts you at the base of
Wahkeena Falls. Very nice. Be sure to look at the falls from both
ends of the bridge.
Also, take a look at the cave behind the rock.
-- At Wahkeena, you'll need to make a decision about Multnomah Falls.
It can be hard to find parking at Multnomah Falls on the weekend,
especially from the
old highway approach. You can either leave you car at Wakeena, but
it is about a 1/2 mile walk
down to Multnomah and another 1/2 mile back. Multnomah is where all
the people are and
very touristy but, as the highest waterfall in Oregon (over 600
feet), you should definitely
make it a point to stop. Or, you can take your chances and drive
down to Multnomah and
hope to find a parking space.

After spending some time at Multnomah Falls, it has been about two hours
(maybe three if you did Bridal Veil and Sheppard's Dell) since you first
exited the freeway. It is now time to look at your watch. Do I want to
see quantity, or go for a longer hike with fewer people?

As you head east out of Multnomah Falls and begin driving on the old
highway, you'll be able to see Horsetail Falls from the passenger side
window. It will be up to you whether to pull off for a closer look. At
this point, although very pretty, Horsetail Falls becomes just another
waterfall you can see from the car and I usually slow down to give my
visitors a look, but don't stop.

Next up is Oneta Gorge. Again, if you want to stop, it will be about a
1/2 to 1 mile walk back to the falls. I usually don't stop, but
continue on and merge back up with I-84. Here I make a choice between
Waclella Falls and Punch Bowl Falls. Wahclella is one of my favorite
short hikes in the gorge. It is about 1 3/4 miles round trip and will
take you about 1 1/2 hours to hike (allowing for a long stop at the
falls and river) and has a lot of interesting scenery along the way (a
smaller quantity of everything you would see on the other hike). Punch
Bowl Falls (on the Eagle Creek trail) is a longer hike of five miles
round trip and will take you about two to three hours to hike, allowing
you more time to soak in the natural beauty of the hike. Both trails
lead you to a very nice waterfall as the end result, so the choice is
yours. Eagle Creek trail tends to have more hikers than Wahclella, but
both trails get you away from the highway and into the woods for a more
backcountry and solitary feel than some of the earlier waterfalls you
visited. Both trailheads require a national forest pass, which hasn't
yet been required up to this point. There are self-pay stations in each
parking lot, but be sure you carry five dollars in your wallet for the
pass fee.

To get to the Wahclella Falls trail head, take the Bonneville Dam exit
and turn right. The Eagle Creek trailhead has it's own freeway exit.
An advantage of doing Wahclella Falls is that you are right next to the
Bonneville Dam and fish hatchery, both of which have very nice visitor
centers.

After your final waterfall visit, you need to check your watch and decide:
-- Do I turn around and go straight back into Portland via I-84
(fastest)?
-- Do I go across to Washington at Cacade Locks and visit the
Washington
waterfalls/parks/attractions?
-- Do I drive finish "The Loop" by driving up to Hood River and
then back
to Portland over Mount Hood?

But, then, each of these is an additional subject of its own.






adjgiulio wrote:

Hi all,

next weekend I'll have a two/three days trip from Seattle to the Coulmbia
River Gorge and back passing through Mt Rainier.
Since time is anyway limited, I'm trying to write down a list of "not to be
missed" spots/short hikes along the Gorge.
Can anyone give me his/her personal Top-10 things to see along the Gorge?
One more question: I was browsing the internet for info about the best falls
to see along the Gorge and came out with a list (which I basically copied
and pasted from http://www.gorgeexplorer.com/hiking_waterfalls.htm ). Could
anybody tell me which of these fall are likely to be dry in this period?

Washington
Dog Creek Falls
Falls Creek Falls
Hardy Falls

Oregon
Latourell Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
Sheppard's Dell
Horsetail Falls
Ponytail Falls
Triple Falls
Metlako Falls
Punchbowl Falls
Tunnel Falls
Wah-kee-na Falls
Fairy Falls
Elowah Falls, McCord Creek Falls
Wahclella Falls
Multnomah Falls

Thanks a lot to everyone.

Ciao, Giulio

"Walt Tucker" wrote in message
...

Thank you all guys for the info. Let's hope to have a sunny weekend!

Ciao, Giulio

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"Walt Tucker" wrote in message
...

Walt, I had a great time at the Gorge. I'd like to thank you again.
I arrived from the East side of Mt St Helens to the Gorge's Washington side
and drove till The Dalles where I passed the night. Then I drove all the
south part of the Gorge, hiking the Wahclella Falls (wonderful!), and
stopping at Multnomah Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Lautorell, Larch Mountain
viewpoint, Crow Point and Women Forum overlook. I also stopped at the Bridal
Veil but the trail was closed for repairing.
I loved the Gorge and I'd like to come back to see the autumn colors. When
do you think it's the best period? Last weekend few leaves were already
yellow.
I'd like to thank you again and I hope this gallery that I put online can
help someone.

http://www.travellersonline.net/USA/...mbiaGorge1.htm

Ciao, Giulio

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http://www.travellersonline.net
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Partecipa alle Open-FAQ sui Natural Parks USA
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"adjgiulio" wrote in message ...

I'd like to thank you again and I hope this gallery that I put online can
help someone.

http://www.travellersonline.net/USA/...mbiaGorge1.htm

Ciao, Giulio

Just for your information:
The falls that you have labelled as Wahkeena is actually Horsetail
Falls, and what you've got labelled as Latourell Falls is actually
Wahkeena Falls.

It sounds like you had a great time. I wish that I lived close enough
to drive to the Gorge for a weekend.

Just out of curiousity, how crowded was it? I saw your post earlier
and was wondering if the holiday weekend would be a problem.

"MadHatter" wrote in message
om...
"adjgiulio" wrote in message
...

I'd like to thank you again and I hope this gallery that I put online
can
help someone.

http://www.travellersonline.net/USA/...mbiaGorge1.htm

Ciao, Giulio

Just for your information:
The falls that you have labelled as Wahkeena is actually Horsetail
Falls, and what you've got labelled as Latourell Falls is actually
Wahkeena Falls.

Thank you a lot for the info. I took a lot of photo and didn't remember
exactly what was what.


It sounds like you had a great time. I wish that I lived close enough
to drive to the Gorge for a weekend.

Just out of curiousity, how crowded was it? I saw your post earlier
and was wondering if the holiday weekend would be a problem.

Well, I was quite surprised. I moved from the Dalles at 8am. I met no one on
the Wahclella Falls Trail. Along the other part of the Gorge there were
people but I never had problems to find a parking. Of course, the Multhnomah
Falls were the most crowded but, also in that condition, I always had good
conditions to set my tripod and take my photos. I found definitely less
people than I expected and it was a nice surprise.

Ciao, Giulio

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''
Travellers
http://www.travellersonline.net
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''

Partecipa alle Open-FAQ sui Natural Parks USA
"Regala una risposta, aiuta un turista"

"MadHatter" wrote in message
om...
"adjgiulio" wrote in message
...

I'd like to thank you again and I hope this gallery that I put online
can
help someone.

http://www.travellersonline.net/USA/...mbiaGorge1.htm

Ciao, Giulio

Just for your information:
The falls that you have labelled as Wahkeena is actually Horsetail
Falls, and what you've got labelled as Latourell Falls is actually
Wahkeena Falls.

Thank you a lot for the info. I took a lot of photo and didn't remember
exactly what was what.


It sounds like you had a great time. I wish that I lived close enough
to drive to the Gorge for a weekend.

Just out of curiousity, how crowded was it? I saw your post earlier
and was wondering if the holiday weekend would be a problem.

Well, I was quite surprised. I moved from the Dalles at 8am. I met no one on
the Wahclella Falls Trail. Along the other part of the Gorge there were
people but I never had problems to find a parking. Of course, the Multhnomah
Falls were the most crowded but, also in that condition, I always had good
conditions to set my tripod and take my photos. I found definitely less
people than I expected and it was a nice surprise.

Ciao, Giulio

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''
Travellers
http://www.travellersonline.net
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''

Partecipa alle Open-FAQ sui Natural Parks USA
"Regala una risposta, aiuta un turista"