12 min
Overview
This excursion begins from a trailhead right off the Columbia River Highway. It takes you to a majestic waterfall and then to clifftop overlooks offering vistas up and down the Columbia River Gorge. The state park is a favorite of tourists and families on summer weekends, but is relatively quiet at other times. The two trails here begin east of the parking area near the restrooms. One trail descends to Bridal Veil Creek and then rises to a viewpoint of two-tiered Bridal Veil Falls. You also have the option here to descend the creek and explore a little of the Bridal Veil Lumbering Company's mill site. The second trail is a paved universal access loop that passes along the rim of the basalt Bridal Veil Bluffs overlooking the Columbia River. Across the road from the parking area is the historic Bridal Veil Lodge, now a B & B, which was opened in 1927 as one of the official "respites" along the Scenic Highway. Make a right at the junction east of the parking lot, and hike through a wood of tall Douglas-firs. Drop down a gravel trail lined by a now deteriorating rock wall that has slipped away in places. Make two switchbacks, passing licorice fern-draped slopes to look down on Bridal Veil Creek. A set of concrete steps leads down to creek level (In winter, you can see rusting pipes from the old mill operation in the undergrowth). Cross a segmental arch footbridge, and go right at the junction. Ascend along the maple-shaded creek to reach steps leading up to a viewing platform. Bridal Veil Falls plunges under the Old Columbia River Gorge Highway's 1914 bridge and through a mossy basalt defile in two tiers, a drop of about 120 feet altogether. The creek ran near-dry for decades because the lumber mill below diverted the water. Now the mill is a memory, and Bridal Veil Falls has returned. A massive basalt boulder, detached long ago from somewhere above, lies in the creek below, testament to the dynamic nature of this landscape. The viewing platform itself has become something of a romantic destination (Note all the h
Trail Stats
0.0 km
62 m
70 m
0 m
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Photos
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400px-BridalVeilFallsMap
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250px-Fire_cistern%2C_Bridal_Veil_Creek
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250px-Bridal_Veil_Creek_below_Bridal_Veil_Falls
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250px-BridalVeilTrillium
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260px-BridalVeilFalls1
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TKO put tools to trail here.png