The scenic highway is about 10 miles long with single lanes in each direction. Alongside six…read morewaterfalls, there are several viewpoints including Vista House, a museum and a conference center. Parking lots are available near Multnomah, Bridal's Veil and Latourell falls. The parking fee is $12 for all lots for the day. It took us about 2.5 hours to drive from Multnomah falls to all the way down to end of the highway. The duration varies based on the time spent on each of the location along the way. The highway is in good condition, I didn't notice any ditch or broken patches. Up from the hill, most of the drive had stunning view of the Columbia river, the banks and surrounding landscape. The I-84 interstate runs along some part of the drive, adding some excitement with the high speed traffic. All in all it is one of the must visit places for anyone visiting Portland, Oregon.

Extraordinarily beautiful! Whether you are taking a drive, riding your bike, or hiking the trail,…read morethe historic Columbia River Highway (Scenic Hwy 30) is a must experience. As you follow the twists and turns of the road, incredible vistas of the Columbia River, the basalt cliffs of the gorge and the rolling hills dotted with orchards and farms awaken all of your senses. This is incredible territory and makes you understand why the early settlers came from far away to live here! Accolades to the Civic Engineering team who built the the many stone guardrails with arches, meticulous work to creat the symmetry, and the many tunnels along the way. The tunnels were cut right into the rock cliff. Amazing! over 100 years later, we are still marveling at the engineering feat and using this road, tunnels and bridges to explore this marvelous country. In several areas there are white metal guardrails that create a stunning contrast to all the green and blue along the way. The road starts around Corbett - make sure to stop At Chanticleer Point for the most amazing view, the Crown Point and Vista House for more - and continue to Hood River and then Mosier, a quant and charming town of just 430. Along the way there are dozens of trails to hike, look out points to pull over, and waterfalls to see from the road. This route never gets boring. Every day is different based in the sun, clouds, blooms and foliage. it's living art and it makes me happy every single time I am traveling this route. Breathe it all in, it's good for the soul!

Moderate difficulty hike that's 5.4 miles from the North Bonneville Trailhead to Gillette Lake. I…read morerecommend looking up the trail on the gorgefriends.org website for directions and additional helpful info. You do have to pay to park at the trailhead unless you already have a Northwest Forest Pass (it's currently a $5 day-use fee to park if you don't have that pass). There's a couple pit toilets and picnic tables at the trailhead parking lot as well. The trail is dirt in some sections and loose gravel/rocks in others. There are sections of inclines as well, so along with the rocky sections of trail, some people may prefer to use trek poles for stability. The incline sections aren't too long and it's a good mix of up and down, so you don't get too winded of you're in relatively good shape. It's also a nice mix of shaded sections in the forest, and open areas in the sun. There's nice views of the surrounding area in the upper open sections and the lake itself is quite pretty. There aren't any benches at the lake, though, so plan on sitting on the ground, or bring your own camp chair, if you want to hang out at the lake a bit. There also isn't a lot of open shoreline, either, so keep that in mind.

This is a super easy hike. You follow the trail from the Bonneville dam trailhead for about 1/2…read moremile, until it connects with the Pacific Crest Trail. Hang a left, and it's 2 miles to Gillette Lake. The trail has a mix of Forrest, clear-cut, and rocky talus. While the clear-cut is a little depressing, it does allow for some nice views throughout the hike. You pass by another lake on the way to Gillette, and there is a nice stream just past the lake. You can continue up the Pacific Crest Trail for as long as you like. There is a decent little loop about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile past Gillette lake. It's worth it if you want to add a few miles onto the hike. There is supposedly a viewpoint or overlook up this way, but we did not find it. The trail is fairly muddy if you hike in winter. But this is a nice alternative to many of the very hard hikes out here in the gorge. A great Sunday outing for the family. There is a fee to park, unless you have a Northwest forest pass or a Discover pass. I think the fee is five dollars. There are some pit toilets at the trailhead if you need that sort of thing.

Beautiful hike. How to get to the hike you have to drive down a long gravel road I recommend…read moredriving a suv or a car you don't care about it's a tight trail at some points so you will get scratches on ur vehicle but the hike is amazing one of my new favorites

This is a beautiful hike! If you follow all trails map, it will start you at the bridge of the…read moregods trailhead. There is another lot a couple of blocks away. The bridge of the gods trailhead does not have a lot of parking. If you do park there, cost is $5 cash for the day be sure to bring that with you. Bathrooms are open. There are trash cans at the parking lot. The views of the bridge of the gods are stunning from the parking lot. the first bit of the trail is a little bit loud. It is very cool to be on the PCT. Especially if you are not from the area. It is nice to have had my feet touch a small portion of the PCT, hopefully someday there will be more. The trail is very green and lush. It is also well signed and marked. The birds were singing. I arrived at 730 am and was the 2nd car in the lot. I didn't see anyone out until i was on my way back down and in my last 3/4 of a mile. From reading reviews on all trails though it can get busy so best to know where the other parking lot is in case you can't get a spot at the bridge of the gods trailhead parking lot. The trail has a gentle but steady incline from the get go. The falls at the end are of course lovely. If i were in the area again i would do this one again.

Shepperd's Dell was the second waterfall that my wife, her mom, and I stopped by, around 8:40 am…read more One can park on turnouts on either side of the, with spots for at most 4 cars at a time. It is viewable from the road, with a closer view accessible via a short path with railings leading downward. Once at the bottom, one can climb a bit upwards following the path of the falls. My wife stayed back and took a nice picture far off picture. Notes: -- 46 feet high -- named for George Shepperd, a local dairy farmer who originally owned the land.

Shepard's Dell is a smaller waterfall in the Columbia scenic driveway. It is next to bridge and a…read morestairway walks down to the trail. There are no parking lot near this fall. Most people park on the side of the road for a quick photo op or park at Bridal's Veil lot and walk. The fall itself is cute. The water comes to an acute point then spread out. It is much calmer than the larger falls in the area.

This review is for Tamanawas Falls Trail which was a ~3.4 miles round trip that took ~2 hours to…read morecomplete. This was a short and easy hike towards another stunning waterfall in the Mt Hood, Oregon. Trail was mostly a narrow dirt path that becomes a little more rocky with a steady incline in the second half of the trail. Most of the trail was next to a running creek. Furthermore, there were a bit of flies in the last 0.25 miles to the waterfall. Limited parking area at the trailhead. Restroom available at the parking lot. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/vRrwqvR6rJo

What a beautiful hike! I'd say it's pretty family-friendly overall. There is some uphill hiking and…read moretwo short sections that are a little questionable to get up and over, but we were able to do it with a 9-month-old strapped to one parent, a 3-year-old strapped to the other, a 12-year-old, a 14-year-old, and two grandparents. We loved that most of the trail is shaded by trees, though enough sun still comes through that sunscreen is recommended. Definitely bring water. One of the coolest parts is that you can go up behind the waterfall, but be prepared to climb rocks to get there--it's not an easy walk-up-and-around situation. The hike is about 3.5-3.6 miles. There were a decent number of people there, but it never felt overwhelmingly crowded. Amenities include restrooms, picnic tables, an information kiosk, and dogs are allowed on leash. A $5 day pass, Northwest Forest Pass, or Interagency Pass is required from May 15 to October 1.

4.9 mi, 1503 ft elevation gain, 2hrs 3 min to complete…read more Awesome trail as always. We beat the crowds and attempted to do this as a sunrise hike. We were a bit too late, but caught a bit of the sunrise on the way up. Clouds and fog were swirling around and moving fast at the top. Absolutely beautiful. Wish I had a hot cup of coffee at the top to enjoy! No parking pass or special access permit required before 0900!!!

Probably my favorite hike on the Oregon side of the Columbia gorge. The views are spectacular as…read moreyou navigate the trail! And the view at the top is worth the effort. This is a moderate intensity hike but it is consistently graded throughout; a great hike if you only have about two hours and want some cardio in your day. The trail is clearly defined and easy to follow. The hike is marvelous in the summer on a clear sunny day! However, the views on the trail are a bit better during the colder months when the leaves are off the trees. Either way, you get a lovely view of the Gorge that is mostly unrestricted as you get near the peak. There is a dedicated parking lot at the trailhead but spots are limited. No permits are required. There is also no public restroom available so plan accordingly. Enjoy!

Came here for the first hike '26. The hike started at the Guy Talbot park area. Got confused as I…read morewas up at the Latourell Falls parking lot. It's a short hike from the park area to the waterfall. The Ranger had a lot of info on the family that started the area. It was cold and a little misty. Not a lot of views of the Columbia or the waterfall from the park but it's secluded and would be fun to picnic at.

This park includes Latourell Falls, which is/are such a gem (you can see my 2018 rotd for deets) --…read moreI'll even say it again: BETTER than Multnomah! There's a small lot off hwy 30 with pathways up and down to two different loop hikes (long and short, respectively) and all also a lower picnic area with street parking if the top lot is full. Did not see that a $5 state park day use pass was required, and there was no place to purchase one anyway. Restrooms currently closed (Jan 2021).

I was lucky enough to have gone hiking here a few weeks before the fire…read more I parked at Rowena Crest, and accidentally wandered a couple of miles up a hill and back down. The Tom McCall trail starts right across the street from Rowena Crest. It's 1.5 miles from the parking area to the top of the hill. There are no restrooms nearby. Parking is free, and permits are not required. However, this area fills up very fast. Even during a Northern Lights show at 3am a few weeks ago, the parking area was crowded and lit up with headlights. Out of all the wildflower hikes I've personally done so far in the Columbia River Gorge, this was the prettiest one. I went in late May and in early June. The balsam root was beginning to droop, but a lot of the other flowers were still in full bloom, or just beginning to bloom. I got some great photos of lupine and paintbrush with the Gorge in the background. Aside from the wildflowers, there was also a lot of plant diversity on this trail compared to others in the area. I saw lots of oak or tanoak near the top of the hill, and some cool looking multi colored shrubs I don't yet know the names of. This trail has been temporarily closed since the fire. I'm not sure how the fire affected the area, or how long it will be until it reopens.

Event: Wandering through Wild Flowers…read more Pros: Im with a group called #Afronature located in Portland and we get out to explore monthly. This time around we decided to explore the Tom McCall Preserve. There was roughly 30 Black individual who made the brave hike up this mountain. Let me tell you on a scale of 1 to 10, this 5 mile hike was about a 9 in difficulty for non hikers. We literally huffed and puffed our behinds to the top of that dawg gone mountain! The views and the wildflowers were beautiful. Cons: n/a Side Note: Bring plenty of Water and snacks! There is very little shade so it is possible to get dehydrated. Wear appropriate boots or walking shoes. Loose clothes are suggested. And bring plenty of sun screen!!!!!!