I first visited Multnomah Falls seven years ago or so. I visited the falls later in the day after visiting a number of other waterfalls in the area, and doing a number of hikes, some of them longer than I expected. I knew there were other waterfalls upstream from Multnomah Falls, and really wanted to see them. (I often try to hit many falls in a day.)

At that time, I don’t think I really understood what it meant to climb approximately 600′ or so in a matter of 1 mile. It is truly an uphill battle. I’m not really sure there’s any point where it flattens out (for more than 2 or 3 feet). The first try, I got maybe 2/3 of the way up and gave up. I didn’t have enough energy to go the rest of the way. I was disappointed, but too tired to really significantly care.

I did visit Multnomah Falls a few years later, but didn’t even think of going up. So when I arrived in Portland about two weeks ago, I had some time during the evening. I didn’t want to drive extremely far to see a waterfall, so I figured I might try the hike to Weisendanger Falls again. I hadn’t done much during the day except sit on a plane.

This time, I was successful. It was still difficult, I was panting much of the way up, and my legs did feel sore after. I think one of the things that helped this time were the markers indicating which switchback I was on. I don’t remember these being there last time… There are 11 switchbacks. It may help to know that you’ve reached the top at switchback 9. The other two are downhill toward Weisendanger Falls (or the other viewpoint for Multnomah Falls). The final portion of the hike to Weisendanger Falls is actually very enjoyable. It was rather warm for this early September day (in the mid-to-upper 80’s), and the downhill portion was much cooler as it was isolated, keeping some of the heat out. It was definitely worth the hike to see the falls!

Multnomah Falls is a very popular waterfall, and from the US Forest Service website, there is now a reservation system for the summer months. I would include a link, but often the links expire, and it wasn’t difficult to find information the reservation system.

Directions:

1. Take the exit off of I-84 toward the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Trail, and follow the road. It’s pretty hard to miss Multnomah Falls. The parking for the falls is actually right in the middle of the road.
2. From the parking area, start heading toward the bridge that crosses Multnomah Creek. This is a uphill climb to begin.
3. After crossing the bridge, you’ll have a 1 mile uphill hike. This is the part that’s tough. Once you reach switchback 9, you’ll head downhill.
4. After reaching that switchback and heading downhill, you’ll reach a split. If you head right (indicated by a sign), you’ll reach the Multnomah Falls upper viewpoint. If you head left along trail 441, that will lead toward Weisendanger Falls. Even if you miss this first left, there’s a left later on.
5. It’s about 0.4 miles further from the switchback to Weisendanger Falls. If you continue uphill beyond that, you’ll reach Ecola Falls.

Accessibility: 2/10 (strenuous)
Length of Hike: 2.8 miles round-trip
Height: 50′

Where in the World is Weisendanger Falls?