Friday, September 30, 2016

Columbia River Gorge Waterfall Hikes–Part 2…

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After lunch the next day we headed in the opposite direction on the scenic highway. The first stop was Horsetail falls and we took the hike up the trail to view it in its glory. It was enjoyable to experience yet another beautiful waterfall in the gorge and amazingly there are so many…

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From there we drove over to the “iconic” waterfall in the gorge Multnomah Falls. Even though it was a weekday in September there was still a large crowd. Nonetheless we made the trek straight up the hill to see where the falls takes the southern drop off the top of the Columbia Gorge. What an amazing falls this one is and we enjoyed it immensely with each step up and back down the slope.

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On down the road we stopped at a couple more falls Wahkeena and Latourell hiking up to see them closer. Next we drove the winding road up to the Vista House for the panoramic views of the entire gorge.  From there we drove further to the Women’s Forum Viewpoint to look back down the gorge with the Vista House perched atop the cliff it was built upon. What a beautiful drive it was especially as the leaves are beginning to turn to fall colors.

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With more daylight available we drove to the Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery.  The Dam is an engineering marvel but the hatchery was where we spent much more time.  There were ponds and holding tanks scattered throughout the fishery where we could see baby fish as well as adult Rainbow Trout, Salmon and the mighty Sturgeon.  One sturgeon we were able to see was huge 10 feet long and 400 pounds.  There is an underwater viewing area where this sturgeon elicited many ohh’s and ahhh’s from the gallery. Amazing just how big this fish is!!! 

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To celebrate our wonderful day coming to a close in the Gorge we went to Cascade Locks to Thunder Island Brewing company as we remembered it as our favorite brewery with a view.  It did not disappoint especially since while we were there a lady in a big pickup truck was giving away some just harvested russet potatoes!  What a great day!

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SO glad we spent four nights in the gorge even with all the train noise we had to endure at the campgrounds… Now it is off to Portland for a week - a place we have visited several times before…

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NOTE: We are currently in Portland Oregon where at the Columbia River RV Park where we will leave on Tuesday, October 4th.

5 comments:

  1. Some more beautiful scenery sure was a wonderful time there.

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  2. Jeri and Terry gave us a personal tour of that area. It is so beautiful. Awesome waterfalls photos.

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  3. That gorge is just incredible with all those beautiful waterfalls. We really enjoyed our tour with Jeri and Terry. There is just something about waterfalls that I love.

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  4. I didn't even recognize Sharon in the Minnie Pearl hat!

    That area is quite familiar to us. Of course, we are not hikers so thanks for sharing.

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  5. I love that old Highway and all the views. I've hiked those waterfalls numerous times. It never got old. Well, it might of if I'd done it when it was pouring down rain.

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