Wahkeena Falls Hike

Overview

Wahkeena Falls has a beauty all its own. It's not a huge single fall like Multnomah or Latourell, and there's no lodge or fancy freeway exit to draw people. Wahkeena Creek twists this way and that through a narrow defile, the volume of water belying the fact that the creek is less than a mile long! While it's less than a quarter mile to the falls, you can continue switchbacking up a paved path to a viewpoint that provides expansive vistas over the west Columbia River Gorge. A short side scramble to The Necktie, i.e. the upper tier of Wahkeena Falls, and Little Necktie Falls completes the picture of this distinctive waterfall. Note that the excursion to The Necktie is not for kids or dogs. Walk up to the viewing plaza just above the parking area on the highway. You can appreciate the tiers of Wahkeena Falls from here, but in spring and summer, the view is partially obscured by mossy big-leaf maples. Head to your right, and cross a footbridge over Wahkeena Creek. Then make a traverse on a paved trail into Douglas-fir/hemlock woods before making a switchback up. The trail traverses to cross the stone bridge, another Simon Benson contribution to the Gorge, in front of Wahkeena Falls. A bench makes a good resting spot, but when the wind is blowing you can get doused with heavy spray! From here, the trail starts up a steep section, climbing about 500 feet in about half a mile. Continue west to pass the former junction with the closed Perdition Trail at a large Douglas-fir. From here, the pathway, which is still paved, rises in 11 stone-walled switchbacks to a junction. The most alert hikers will find a Lego brick cemented into one of the walls. Take the short spur to the right to reach Lemmons Viewpoint, named after an Oregonian fire fighter who lost his life in a Nevada wildfire. Vistas extend across the Columbia River to Cape Horn, the Prindle Cliffs, Archer Mountain, Hamilton Mountain, and Beacon Rock. If you're interested in the short but sketchy scramble down to the top tier of Wahkeena Falls, known as The

Trail Stats

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