Dutchman Falls, Oregon

Dutchman Falls in September 2015

I will admit I forgot that Dutchman Falls exists. The hike to see Dutchman Falls is strenuous, but you get to see multiple other waterfalls. On the way there, you get to see the amazing Multnomah Falls. And then after the strenuous hike, you can see Weisendanger Falls and Ecola Falls. Refer to the Weisendanger Falls post for info about my attempts to see the falls.

Dutchman Falls is actually a very beautiful waterfall, but I think it gets lost when surrounded by the other amazing waterfalls. I remember Weisendanger Falls and Ecola Falls, though Ecola Falls is very difficult to photograph. Dutchman Falls is much easier to photograph, but doesn’t get advertised as much.

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 Dutchman and Weisendanger Falls. Even if you miss this first left, there’s a left later on.
  5. It’s about 0.2 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: 35′

Where in the World is Dutchman Falls?

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