Monday, May 13, 2024 - Visit Columbia River Gorge

We had a nice and hot breakfast in the hotel, then we drove back to Portland area to visit the famous Columbia River Gorge.  The Columbia River gorge is a spectacular river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, that meanders past cliffs, spires, and ridges set against nearby peaks of the Pacific Northwest’s Cascade Mountain Range. It is famous for its dozens of awe-inspiring waterfalls spill from basalt cliffs, lining the Historic Columbia River Highway, like the famous Multnomah, Bridal Veil and Latourell falls.

Our itinerary calls for visiting Vista House, Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Multnomak Falls, Bonnerville Lock and Dam, Bridge of the Gods, After we existed I-84 and turned to the Waterfall Corridor, we started our visit at Vista House.  The Vista House was built in 1917 on one of the most beautiful scenic points on the Historic Columbia River Highway. It was constructed to provide travelers a place to rest and refresh themselves as they made their way down the magnificent Columbia River Gorge. 

At Vista House, we had a chance to check with the staff about what and where the attractions and the info regarding each falls.  We also learned from them regarding what to do in the Mt Hood area.  

We visited Larourell Falls first, and were impressed with the size of the falls and the amount of water coming down from the falls.  

Then, we moved on to the Bridal Veil Falls,  There is a short walk (0,5mi) from the parking area to the waterfalls. It was a pleasant hike and we were amazed when we saw the falls. It is known for their picturesque beauty, with a height of approximately 120 feet and a picturesque pool at their base. The surrounding lush greenery and towering trees add to the allure, making it a must-visit destination for nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike.  Quickly we found out that photo just could not capture the amazing beauty of the falls, therefore we started to do videos to give it’s the justice.  

Then, we moved on to the Wahkeena Falls.  It is a falls that you can see from the parking area.  There is a short hike lead to the actual falls.  For some reason, we got on the wrong trail and found out that we were on the returning trip from Mulmomah Falls to Wahkeena Falls.  It was a 20 minutes hiking trail and was an easy/pleasant one.  On the way to Mulmomah Falls, we found an unnamed small but beautiful falls like some of the falls we saw during our previous Japan trips. 

When we hiked to the Mulmomah Falls parking area, we noticed they were charging $20 for parking. I guess we saved $20 accidentally. Plummeting 620 feet, in two different sections, Multnomah Falls is the most-visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest with more than 2 million visitors each year. We did try to hike up the top of the falls, however, due to time constraint, we just went up to half way and saw the most part of the falls closely from different angles.  It was an impressive attraction.

Then, we stopped by the Horsetail falls and just viewed it and took photos from the roadside viewing area.

We drove to Bridge of The Gods and found a lot of traffic, then we realized it is a toll bridge ($3 for a very short ride).  We were intended to turn around and the attendant won’t allow us, therefore, we have to cross the bridge, and drove on the north bank of the Columbia River to White Salmon and take another toll bridge back to south side of the bridge to continue our drive. At the same time we missed the original planned stop at Bonnerville Lock and Dam.

Since we learned that Mt Hood area did not have any attraction stops for sightseeing, we decided to follow the recommendation by just drive around the State Highway 26 back to Portland to just to admire the majestic Mt Hood by viewing from a distance.  We did stopped by the roadside and took photos with Mt Hood as the backdrop.

With this additional detour, we were able to eliminate another 5 hours of driving to/from Mt Hood on the next day.

When we got back to Llyod hotel, it was 9:30pm already.  However, they still had plenty salmon chowder left, so we took some back to the room and enjoyed it.