Much like Mount Hood, Dan and I visited Multnomah Falls multiple times during our year of living in Portland. However, we only visited it together one time: when Dan's mom was visiting from England. The other times, we took trips to the falls with friends and family, but not together.
All of our visits occurred during the last two months that we lived in Portland: during summer. The primary reason is the PNW is miserable during most of the year. I found the weather to be worse than I has anticipated and I didn't want to leave the house, unless it was to drive to an indoor activity. This California girl was grumpy!
After hearing about Multnomah Falls for nearly a year ( everyone told us that it was a must-do), we finally saw it in person. It's spectacular. It's also just off the road, which means you don't have to engage in any hard-core physical activity to view it and it's free to park! This is a VERY popular spot, so the parking lot can get full and it is very crowded. Like anything, arrive early and be patient.
And the main event!
See the bridge? We climbed up to it for a closer view of the falls. It's not a hard climb. Actually "climb" is over-stating it. It's an easy walk, paved, up a not-too-steep hill and it takes about ten minutes. Most people can easily make the walk to bridge. If you're interested in hiking, some of the trails start near the bridge.
Here we are with Dan's mom on the bridge.
Multnomah Falls has a lodge, which is a historic landmark built during The Great Depression. Many of the hiking trails were damaged in a 2017 wildfire that was started by a teenager throwing fireworks. The fire happened just a few months after our visit. The lodge was nearly burned, but survived. Just a few weeks ago, the teenager was sentenced to a thirty-six million dollar restitution.
A model of the lodge.
We ate our lunch in the lodge restaurant, which offers an amazing brunch buffet. The local produce and fresh salmon were delicious. The entire experience was uniquely PNW and worth doing.
If you visit Oregon, you must visit Multnomah Falls. It's just a short drive from Portland and I recommend pairing it with a visit to the Bonneville Dam, which I will be blogging about next.