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Wahclella Falls Trail #436
Oregon
NOTE:
The following two books are highly recommended for anyone
interested in hiking in the Columbia River Gorge:
Hiking the Columbia River Gorge
and
100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon
I personally own both and consider
them indispensible for hiking the Columbia River Gorge.
Length:
1.8 miles round trip
Trail Uses: Hiking
Facilities available: Parking
Season of Use: Year Round
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 300
Visitor Use: X Heavy
Northwest Forest Pass Required
Access: Eastbound or westbound
I-84 – Take Bonneville Dam exit # 40. Turn south and
find paved parking area.
Description: The trail begins on
an old, gated road alongside Tanner Creek. Pass a small intake
dam for the Bonneville Fish Hatchery and continue into the
narrowing canyon. A tributary stream creates a dramatic waterfall
at the first bridge, and the trail forks after 0.7 mile. If
you have small children it is advisable to stay on the lower
trail and avoid the sheer-sided return loop currently the
second bridge is out. Wahclella Falls is one of the more spectacular
waterfalls in the gorge-a 350-foot two-tiered plunge with
the final 60-foot section providing a powerful horsetail fall
into an enormous splash pool.
Features: The trail winds past house-sized
boulders left behind by a 1973 landslide. Watch for water
ouzels bobbing and diving on the side of the stream, and for
spawning salmon at the base of the falls during late fall.
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