Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls

On Wednesday Kevin drove us about two hours east to visit the waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge. I had seen pictures of this area, and really wanted to see it. I asked if it we could go for my birthday, and Kevin agreed. The entire area just east of Portland is beautiful!!

Someone told me that a permit was now required to drive on scenic Highway 30 to view the falls. This was started last year as the area was getting extremely crowded. During my research, I found a company called Sasquatch Shuttles. For $15 each, we could park in their lot at the start of the area and be shuttled to six of the waterfalls. That sounded like a great deal. We arrived and waited just a short while for the small bus to pick us up. Our driver, Keenan, was raised in this area and shared lots of local knowledge.

The first stop was Shepherd's Dell which is one of the lesser known waterfalls. It is 92 feet tall, but some of the top is hard to see. In 1915 farmer George Shepperd donated all of his property which included the waterfall to the City of Portland as a memorial to his wife. Later the city gave the land to the state, and Shepperd's Dell State Natural Area was formed.

The next stop was Latourell Falls which is 249 feet tall. The Talbot family donated the land surrounding these falls in 1929. The historic Columbia River Highway was completed in 1915, and many generous landowners began donating their land to preserve the beauty of this area.

The rocks at the top look like a heart.

I like how the sun made this diamond effect.

We continued on to the highest part of the road, Vista House Crown Point. The house was built in 1918 to serve as a comfort station for travelers, and as an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia River could be appreciated. The house is staffed by volunteers, and was closed. Our driver speculated it was due to the expected high temperatures in the 90s. 

The views were definitely spectacular. It was a bit hazy, maybe due to fires elsewhere. Notice the pretty streetlights lining the roadway.

View to the east

View to the west

Back down the hill brought us to Horsetail Falls which is 176 feet tall. 

There are towers in the river for eagles to make their nests. We saw several eagles on these perches.

Our final stop from the bus was at the granddaddy of the waterfalls, Multnomah Falls. It did not disappoint. We did learn that there is about seventy percent more water flowing in the spring, but it was still magnificent. In total it falls 611 feet, upper falls is 542 feet and lower falls is 69 feet. It is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States, and the most visited tourist attraction in the Pacific Northwest.

We could have caught a shuttle to the next waterfall, but decided to hike the half mile along the trail. Kevin saw this unusual looking bug. I found out it is a banded alder borer which eats only downed and decayed trees. Kevin's shoe is in the picture for size perspective.

Wahkeena Falls is 242 feet tall. It was the hardest one to get a picture of the whole waterfall. It starts up near the top where you see the trees, but rocks and trees keep it pretty well hidden. Wahkeena is the Yakima Indian name for most beautiful.

We hopped back onto the shuttle and headed back to the parking lot. The last waterfall we visited was Bridal Veil Falls. It can be accessed along the road, but you have to hike down a trail to it. If you take the shuttle trip, you can access it from below, which looked to be much easier. Another beautiful site!!

After indulging my waterfall obsession, Kevin deserved a break. We headed to Oakshire Brewery where he tried a flight of four beers. His favorite was the amber ale. I had a delicious Bauman's Loganberry Hard Cider. 

To top off a perfect day, we stopped at Joann's Fabrics on the way home. I needed some thread, and have not been to Joann's since last summer. I found some other items that I couldn't live without as well.

The scenic drive back along highway 6 was through lots of pine forests and over the Cascade Mountains.

The day before our waterfall trip, we did some more crabbing with Brad and Martha. This time we caught three large, two medium and lots of small sized crabs in about two hours. This trap was so full, it was very heavy for Kevin to lift. They were all too small, and had to be thrown back. 

We feasted on the five that were keepers for supper. So, so yummy!!! Kevin and Brad have the licenses, so do all the hard work and heavy lifting. We all work together to cook and clean them. What a treat!!!!!!

We're in Garibaldi for two more weeks. We have another crabbing adventure coming up this week. Stay tuned for more pictures!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!