Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls, United States

Multnomah Falls cascades down dark basalt cliffs framed by green ferns and golden late afternoon light.

Oregon's tallest waterfall, a two-tier drop beside a historic bridge and an easy day trip from Portland.

The place

Multnomah Falls lies on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale in Multnomah County, Oregon. The falls drop in two tiers down dark basalt cliffs, and at about 191 metres above sea level they are the tallest waterfall in the state. Most visitors arrive by road, because the historic river highway and the interstate both run close by, and the falls are a familiar stop on any journey through the gorge.

The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, is a highway bridge on the Historic Columbia River Highway that crosses the creek below the falls. Above it, a switchback trail climbs to a viewpoint that looks down the cliff face, a steeper walk that rewards the effort with a higher and different angle.

The site draws very large crowds. Bridge and paths get congested from late morning in summer, and parking can fill early. The gorge around the falls is steep, green and wet. Moss and ferns cling to the rock, and spray drifts across the path after rain. The lodge beside the stream, built as part of the early landscaping, is a fitting place to wait out a shower. Even on warm days the air stays cool in the shade, so a light layer is worth carrying.

Its story

The falls took shape around 15,000 years ago, when enormous floods of water swept across the region from the collapse of glacial lakes. Those floods, known as the Missoula floods, scoured the gorge and left the waterfall at the end of a hanging valley, where a side stream now meets the main river.

The name comes from the Multnomah people, who lived along this stretch of the river. Their own account of the falls tells of a young woman who gave her life to the Great Spirit to save her village from sickness. After she went over the cliff, water began to flow from the top. The story is a cultural account rather than a historical record, but it explains the falls in the terms of the people who knew this country first.

Outsiders recorded the falls in 1805, when the expedition led by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis came down the gorge. Lewis noted several streams falling from the mountainside into the river, and the falls were among the sights of that stretch. Scholars have not settled how the name itself arose.

Development came much later. Simon Benson shaped the site in the early twentieth century, adding a path, a viewing bridge and, in 1925, the lodge that still stands at the foot of the falls. The lodge and the surrounding footpaths were later added to the National Register of Historic Places. Earlier, in the mid-nineteenth century, many settlers crossing the continent reached the fertile Willamette Valley at the end of the Oregon Trail, and the gorge belonged to that wider movement of people into the Northwest.

What to see

Culture

Multnomah Falls is a place where people take the scenery seriously, and the wider state does too. Oregonians are proud of their landscape, and damage to it, whether dropped litter, trampled plants or harm to wildlife, draws a sharp response rather than a shrug. Portland and the Willamette Valley are cosmopolitan and relaxed, closer in feel to San Francisco and Seattle. Eastern and southern Oregon are more conservative, with a rural outlook nearer to Idaho and Nevada, so manners and small talk shift as you travel. At the falls, families, joggers and walkers share the paths in an easy way, and the crowds are generally good-humoured. Keep to the marked paths, stay behind the railings near the edge, and take every scrap of litter home with you.

What to wear

Multnomah Falls lies in country that was lived in for thousands of years before settlers arrived, and the Multnomah people gave the falls their name. The surviving sources say little about their traditional clothing, so this reading does not describe particular garments or textiles. What can be said is that the Pacific Northwest has always had a practical, weather-led approach to dress, shaped by rain and cool air rather than by any formal code.

Today people at the falls wear practical outdoor clothing: waterproof shell jackets, fleece layers, hiking trousers and trainers with good grip. Portland has a more deliberately relaxed city style, with muted colours and layers that suit a damp climate. Eastern Oregon is more conventional in its dress.

For a visit, pack a waterproof layer whatever the forecast says, because spray and rain can soak the steps and the trail. Choose footwear with real grip for wet stone and slippery paths, and bring a warm layer, since the shade of the gorge stays cool even in summer. Modesty norms are relaxed, as this is a public natural site rather than a religious one.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. Spring and early autumn suit the falls best: water flow is usually strong in spring, and the paths are calmer than in midsummer. Winter is grey and wet, so pack for rain. Midsummer brings the biggest crowds to the bridge and parking, so an early start matters most then.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. Fly into Portland International Airport (PDX), then drive east along the Columbia River Gorge on the interstate or the historic river highway. A hire car gives the most flexibility, and a coach tour is an option if you prefer not to drive.

Budget. low

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources