Touring the Columbia River Gorge

Find mountain-high waterfalls and a deep river canyon in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon.

Our family did a trip to the Pacific Northwest seeing Seattle, Portland, North Cascades National Park, the Columbia Gorge, and sites in between. This is what we did on our vacation, hope it helps you in planning your trip to this amazing area!

We drove from Spokane, Wash., where we stayed the night to The Dalles, Oregon, at the start of the gorge drive.

We made the trip in reverse which is the opposite of what most people who do it from Portland. This also allows us to avoid some of the traffic coming the other way from more populated areas.

Washington State’s Stonehenge

Our first stop before we came to the main part of the gorge was Stonehenge.

it was the first monument in the U.S. for those who gave their lives in World War I. Honored in this memorial are thirteen young Klickitat County, Wash., men.

The design duplicates in size and is original from England’s famous Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. At the time it was thought that human sacrifices had taken place there. Completed on May 30, 1929.

Engraved in stones are the names of the servicemen.

Stonehenge is also located high above the Columbia River so you can also take in the views.

Someone had even crocheted red poppies and placed them along the rocks around the memorial. Seen at World War I battlefields since they bloom when the soil is disturbed from combat, trenches, and bombings.

Hours: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., Daily

Address: 97 Stonehenge Dr, Goldendale, WA 98620

Rowena Crest Viewpoint

Next, we drove up along the Historic Columbia River Highway (U.S. Highway 30) to Rowena Crest Viewpoint.

This point is the eastern end of the gorge road and engineer John A. Elliott said this side should echo the western section that has Crown Point and Hood River with gentle turns and grades.

Cataclysmic floods during the twilight of the last Ice Age (12,000 -13,000 years ago) created these scablands called the Rowena Plateau.

Down below you can see the Klickitat River delta with its silty water coming into the Columbia River.

You can also see windsurfers out on the water.

Address: 6500 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Mosier, OR 97040

THE DALLES

After taking in the views we checked into the Holiday Inn Express in The Dalles and had dinner at Spookys Pizza which we could walk to.

Holiday Inn Express

We stayed here as an affordable option. Hotels closer to the main part of the gorge, such as in Hood River, Org., were more expensive.

Address: 97 Stonehenge Dr, Goldendale, WA 98620

Spooky’s Pizza

Hours: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Tuesday- Saturday; Closed, Sunday- Monday

Address: 3320 W 6th St, The Dalles, OR 97058

HEADING TO THE WATERFALLS AND GORGE

After a night’s stay, we headed to the waterfalls along the gorge. Required are permits for access to some areas of the falls and gorge due to them being busy during the summer season.

Permit

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area requires Timed Use Permits to access two separate areas:

Multnomah Falls (I-84/Exit 31)
The Waterfall Corridor to access federal lands adjacent to US 30/Historic Columbia River Highway between Bridal Veil (Exit 28) and Ainsworth (Exit 35)

The permits are two separate systems and are not interchangeable. There is no access for cars between the Exit 31 parking lot and the Historic Highway. There is a pedestrian walkway.

Required through Sept. 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A Timed Use Permit reservation does not guarantee to park. Permits will be available on a per-vehicle basis and visitors are limited to 2 permits per day.

Done online and the cost is $2. Go to the website for the booking window, which is 14 days before your travel date.

It is only needed during the summer months. The permit also does not guarantee to park.

Bridge of the Gods

Our first stop was checking out the Bridge of the Gods. It serves as the link between the Oregon and Washington part of the Pacific Crest Trail and also the lowest elevation point along the trail.

Named after a natural dam created by the Bonneville Slide, a major landslide that dammed the Columbia River at this location.

The river eventually breached the bridge and washed much of it away. Remembered in Native American legends as the Bridge of the Gods. This also created the cascades in which the nearby locks were built, although now covered by water from the Lake Bonneville Dam.

You can park along Wa Na Pa Street in Cascade Locks or in Toll House Park if you want to check out the bridge.

Address: 745 NW Wa Na Pa St, Cascade Locks, OR 97014

Wahclella Falls Trail

This was a chance for us to stretch our legs before we started more serious hiking. It is also a gorgeous stream to walk along that is relatively flat at the start.

The trail begins on an old, gated road alongside Tanner Creek.

It is 2.4 miles total, but we were only going a short way.

Tanner Creek flows through rapids in this area.

We went as far as the intake dam for the Bonneville Fish Hatchery then turned around.

A much longer hike would involve going up to Wahcella Falls.

Address: Wahclella Falls Trail, Cascade Locks, OR 97014

Historic Columbia River Highway

Next, we entered the Historic Columbia River Highway / U.S. Highway 30 at Exit 35. If you are coming from Portland you would use Exit 22 and do this drive in reverse. Our permitted time was 10 a.m. and we could enter between 10-11 a.m.

Horsetail Falls

Named for its characteristic form, Horsetail Falls plunges 176 feet within view of the highway. Just east of the falls is a great picnic spot to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area.

This is also a trailhead for Horsetail Falls Trail #438, a short but steep hike that passes behind the base of Upper Horsetail Falls (also called Ponytail Falls) and through a basalt half-tunnel before leading to Oneonta Trail #424 and is 1.6 miles round trip with 440 feet of elevation gain.

You will need to cross the Historic Columbia River Highway to access the viewing area and picnic tables.

It is a short walk to the falls.

Address: Horsetail Falls Trailhead, Historic Columbia River Hwy, Cascade Locks, OR 97014

Oneonta Trailhead

Closed trail, but you can park here and walk along through the 125-foot, timber-lined tunnel that runs through a 200-foot-high basalt outcrop.

In 1948, with increasing traffic, a new bridge over Oneonta Creek was built and the road diverted to the outside of the basalt outcropping.

It was reopened in 2009, as part of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail restoration effort. In 2017 the Eagle Creek fire burned through the tunnel, obliterating the timbers. Restored since then.

Address: Oneonta Trailhead, OR 97014

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest with more than 2 million stopping by each year to take in the views.

Fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain, the flow over the falls varies but is usually highest during winter and spring. It is a 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water

Built in 1925 in front of the falls is Multnomah Falls Lodge. Constructed of rock found in the gorge. Run by a concessionaire, with restrooms, a Visitor Center, a snack bar, a gift shop, and a restaurant that is fully ADA accessible.

Friends of Multnomah Falls and the U.S. Forest Service jointly staff the visitor information area within the lodge.

From the parking area off of Interstate 84 or the Columbia River Historic Highway, it is only a few minutes walk to the waterfall.

Then you come to the exhilarating spray at the base of the falls.

For an even closer view, walk another several hundred feet up the paved trail to reach Benson Bridge, which spans the falls at the first tier’s misty base.

Standing on the bridge you have a perfect view of the top tier’s full 542-foot height and a knee-wobbling vantage point over the second tier’s 69-foot drop!

For a longer hike you can do a 5-mile round trip with 1,500 of elevation gain you can see more falls.

Address: 50000 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Bridal Veil, OR 97010

Wahkeena Falls

A day-use area and trail situated at the base of beautiful Wahkeena Falls, just west of Multnomah Falls on the Historic Columbia River Highway.

The 242-foot falls is a tiered type of waterfall, named after the Yakama word for “most beautiful”. While not as tall as nearby Multnomah, it is no less lovely.

There is a large parking lot to the right of the falls. You can use this lot if the Multnomah Falls lot fills up since it is connected by trail.

We had a picnic here near the cascades of the creek.

After eating we headed to the front of the parking area.

The trail starts at a wooden bridge over Wahkeena Creek.

It is a short hike to the falls and you can enjoy a cool spray on the trail here year-round.

A much longer hike would be to Fairy Falls which would be a 2-mile round trip with 800 feet of elevation gain.

Address: Wahkeena Trail #420, Troutdale, OR 97060

Bridal Veil Falls

Located just off the Columbia River Highway, at the site of an old lumber mill, this state park features two short hikes, one to beautiful Bridal Veil Falls and the other showcasing views of the Columbia River.

The Lower Trail or Bridal Veil Falls Trail is a steep, 0.3-mile descent to the base of the magnificent waterfall. The falls duck under the Old Columbia River Gorge Highway’s 1914 bridge and over mossy basalt in two tiers, a drop of about 120 feet altogether.

Hikers will pass over Bridal Veil Creek, which originates in nearby Larch Mountain and was once nearly dry, its water diverted by the Bridal Veil Falls Lumbering Company. Watch for several signs of the property’s mill days: a dike and human-made creek, remnants of old buildings, and a corrugated iron shed, the last remaining structure.

WARNING: Do not try to walk along the bridge over the Historic Highway to see the falls. The road is a narrow two-lane passage with no sidewalk. PLEASE view the falls from the trail.

The half-mile Overlook Trail offers magnificent views of the Columbia River along the paved loop. You’ll see dramatic rock formations, including Archer Mountain, Hamilton Mountain, Beacon Rock, and the famous geologic edifice known as the Pillars of Hercules. The trail also passes a patch of forest scarred by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.

Picnic tables and restrooms are within easy walking distance from the parking area. A large lawn affords visitors a chance to stretch a blanket in one of the laziest parts of the Columbia River Gorge.

Our Time Here

Here we walked down to the natural surface lower trail. There is a lot of elevation gain, so it is a workout, but well worth it for the view. It was the hardest hike we did in the gorge.

Address: Bridal Veil Parking Lot, 46650 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019

Sheppard's Dell Waterfall — *Sheppard’s Dell Waterfall*

Sheppard’s Dell State Natural Area

Shepperd’s Dell isn’t so much a hike as a very short stroll. However, it certainly deserves mention for its classic stonework and, of course, its waterfall.

Cut from the cliffs and protected by a stone wall the short path was created by the masons working on the nearby Columbia River Highway. Young Creek flows down a series of falls into a deep canyon.

When looking at the historic deck arch bridge built in 1914, it can still handle the droves of summertime RVs in the present day

Limited parking so be careful here.

Address: Shepperd’s Dell State Natural Area, Corbett, OR 9701

Latourell Falls

Latourell Falls is the closest of the major Columbia River Gorge waterfalls to Portland, and it’s also one of the most photogenic. A tall single-plunge waterfall of 224 feet, it spills over the lip of an undercut amphitheater of tall pillars of columnar basalt.

We were unable to stop here since the parking lot was full, maybe next time.

It has a 1.6-mile trail with 500 feet of elevation gain.

Address: Latourell Falls Trailhead, Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019

Vista House

Built as a rest stop observatory for travelers on the old Columbia River Gorge Highway and as a fitting memorial honoring Oregon’s pioneers—particularly those who made their way down the Columbia River.

Described by its architect, Edgar M. Lazarus, as “a temple to the natural beauty of the Gorge,” Vista House has long been recognized for its historic significance and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Built under the direction of a Multnomah County roadmaster, John B. Yeon, the structure is 44 feet in diameter and 55 feet high. The exterior is gray sandstone.

The roof, which for almost 50 years was capped with a copper roof, now has its crown restored to the original matte-glazed green tiles.

Inside, you will find Tokeen Alaskan Marble on the surface of the floors and stairs in the rotunda and as wainscoting on the basement walls. Painted to simulate the marble and bronze the inside of the dome and its supporting ribs were

Attached to the wall just below the dome, eight busts of four unidentified Native Americans are aligned so that each mirrors its own likeness. Lancaster furnished plans for other interior decorations that were never realized.

Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Address: 40700 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019

Portland Women's Forum lookout with a view of the Vista House. — *Portland Women’s Forum lookout with a view of the Vista House.*

Portland Women’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint

Built in 1918 as the first road linking Portland and The Dalles. This small park’s namesake organization, the Portland Women’s Forum, was active in preserving the natural beauty along the Gorge and donated the land to the state. Come see for yourself why this is one of the most popular viewpoints for photographing Vista House.

Hours: The viewpoint closes nightly at 9 p.m. and reopens at 6 a.m.

Address: 39210 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019

NOTE: For longer hikes than just seeing the falls you will need a permit for the national forest and state park sections.