3.3 hr
Overview
This is a good early or late season loop that takes you away from crowds and yet encompasses the series of waterfalls on Multnomah Creek that the crowds come for. Higher up, you’ll encounter fewer people on the Larch Mountain Trail, a route constructed in 1915 by members of the Trails Club of Oregon. You’ll pass under some magnificent old-growth Douglas-firs, and then turn off the main trail to cross the East and West Forks of Multnomah Creek to enjoy what will probably be a solitary descent of Franklin Ridge. When the Franklin Ridge trail was originally constructed, it offered open views across the Oneonta Creek drainage to points north and west, but decades of healthy forest growth left these vistas very restricted. Ironically, the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire that burned across this ridge opened up some views again. Bear in mind, however, that the Franklin Ridge Trail, although cleared by Trailkeepers of Oregon crews, was neglected for a couple of years after the fire, and the trail tread saw a healthy regrowth of brush that can only be contained by constant foot passage. The trail begins at Multnomah Falls Lodge, a historic building built to serve early automobile travelers in 1925. From a photographer's viewpoint, get a head on vista of both the lower and main tiers of Multnomah Falls and the picturesque span of the Benson Bridge. From here, the trail is a gently sloped 2/10 mile paved path to the Benson Bridge, put in place in 1914 by Simon Benson, one of the builders of the old highway. This part of the trail has one switchback, although one small flight of a few stairs blocks the way to wheelchairs beyond the lower falls viewpoint. You'll pass below a rock net and can look up to see the seasonal Shady Creek Falls, which splash down a cliff just west of Multnomah Falls. Beyond the bridge, the asphalt trail switches up steeply for another mile to a ridgecrest (there are 11 switchbacks to be exact). At the first switchback, you'll come to the Larch Mountain-Gorge Trail Junction. After the Eagle Creek Fire, log
Trail Stats
0.0 km
976 m
893 m
0 m
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Photos
400px-FranklinRidgeLoopMap
400px-FranklinRidgeLoopMap
250px-Ascending_above_Multnomah_Basin%2C_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
250px-Ascending_above_Multnomah_Basin%2C_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
250px-Thimbleberry_%28Rubus%29
250px-Thimbleberry_%28Rubus%29
250px-Honey_mushrooms%2C_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
250px-Honey_mushrooms%2C_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
250px-Oneonta_Trail_sign_at_junction_with_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
250px-Oneonta_Trail_sign_at_junction_with_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
250px-Multnomah_Creek_footbridge%2C_Larch_Mountain
250px-Multnomah_Creek_footbridge%2C_Larch_Mountain
250px-Wiesendanger_Falls%2C_Larch_Mountain_Trail
250px-Wiesendanger_Falls%2C_Larch_Mountain_Trail
400px-View_to_Nesmith_Point_from_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
400px-View_to_Nesmith_Point_from_Franklin_Ridge_Trail
TKO put tools to trail here.png
TKO put tools to trail here.png