Wahclella Falls

Today I went on a short hike to Wahclella Falls in the waterfall valley in the gorge.  Originally I was planning on doing Independence Pass on Mt. St Helens but decided to wait until summer for that one.  Weather reports were saying it was still snowy and cold and I'm just not that motivated.  I decided to do Beacon Rock on the Washington side of the gorge instead but once I got there and felt how freezing and windy it was at the base I figured a sheer climb up the side of the rock was a bad idea.  So I ended up crossing over the Bridge of the Gods and hiking up to Wahclella Falls.  Most of the waterfalls in the gorge I've already hiked so it was pleasant surprise when I realized this one I had missed.  It's about half way between Multnomah Falls and Eagle Creek and the only access point is off the I-84 at the Bonneville Dam exit.  The historic route 30 is stunning and travels past so many waterfalls but doesn't seem to get you to this one, which is probably why I hadn't noticed it before.

The path was a broad and well maintained gravel trail for about a quarter mile then turned into a wide rocky/mud trail for the remainder of the hike.  It was only a two mile loop which was perfect for a leisurely day stroll.  There were some steep inclines but for the most part it was very reasonable and would be good for children or animals.  The path followed the river past a few small waterfalls until it crossed over to the other side on an adorable bridge and then crossed back over the river later on.  The scenery was amazing!  There were so many small waterfalls coming out of the rock that there seemed to be at least two in view at all times.  The river was beautiful and the trees were green.  Wahclella falls itself was stunning with a three-tiered drop into a pool which looked like a place to go swimming on a hot day.  There was plenty of places to have a picnic and to just sit next to the water.

I enjoyed this hike very much and I *might* say I liked it almost as much as Silver Falls. It's definitely an easier hike than Silver Falls and much closer to Portland (only 40 minutes-ish away) and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.  I expect it could get crowded during the summer or on weekends but is 100% worth it.