On our recent trip to Oregon with my sister, we all got sick. We had to cancel the more strenuous hikes we planned. Even so, we still wanted to do something to maximize our trip. The Waterfall Corridor in the Columbia River Gorge is the perfect place for this! If you want to see beautiful waterfalls without much effort, this is it. Stretching along the 8.5 miles of the Columbia River Highway, the Waterfall Corridor is home to more than a dozen gorgeous waterfalls, including the Multnomah Falls and Horsetail Falls. Besides the thundering cascades, this Waterfall Corridor also has picturesque views and breathtaking, lush hiking trails such as the Oneonta Gorge Trail. While you can see many waterfalls along the road or with a very short walk, some require more effort. In this blog, we will go over all the main ones that are more accessible.
The Waterfall Corridor in Oregon is very popular. So, it gets busy, especially in the summer. This means major traffic jams and full parking lots. Parking along the Corridor is limited, and you cannot park just anywhere along the side of the road. In the summer (usually the end of May to the beginning of September), you’ll also need a timed entry permit to enter Multnomah Falls. This permit provides access for 1 private vehicle and its occupants to visit the Multnomah Falls area. Please note that you ONLY need the timed entry permit if you want to visit Multnomah Falls. You don’t need the permit to drive along the Waterfall Corridor, to see other waterfalls, or to hike from one waterfall to Multnomah Falls. If you want to avoid traffic and crowds, the best time to visit is during weekdays or off-season.
As we mentioned above, summertime can be hectic to visit the Waterfall Corridor. If you want to skip the hassle of fighting the traffic, finding parking, or reserving permits, you can take the shuttle. There are a few shuttle companies that offer different tours or hop-on, hop-off options. If you take one of these shuttles, you won’t need the timed entry permit for any section of the Waterfall Corridor.
If you love tours, you can book a half-day or sunset tour with Waterfall Shuttle to visit Multnomah Falls and a few other falls. Gray Line Tours also offers half-day excursions to the Gorge from downtown Portland. If you prefer the hop-on/hop-off option so you can visit all the stops along the Waterfall Corridor, you can take the Gray Line Tours’ open-air Waterfall Trolley. Another option is the Sasquatch Shuttle with their park and ride.
Biking is another wonderful option to explore the Waterfall Corridor. You can either bring your own or rent one. If you prefer an e-bike, you can rent from Ebike Multnomah Falls. You can park at their shop for free and take a self-guided tour. Another outfitter is Bike the Gorge, which offers both guided and self-guided options.
If you decide to drive your car to visit the Waterfall Corridor in Oregon, make sure to plan in advance. If it’s possible, go on a weekday instead of a weekend. Don’t forget to book your timed entry permit in advance if you’re planning to visit Multnomah Falls. We usually exit off Exit 22 for Corbett Hill.
The Vista House at Crown Point is the first and bonus stop along the Historic Columbia River Highway. If you’re exiting Exit 22 (Corbett Hill), we recommend stopping by here. It is literally on the way to the Waterfall Corridor. The Vista House at Crown Point is a century-old observatory, museum, and rest stop. It also has the cleanest restrooms in the area! Besides the history and its interesting architecture, this spot also has awesome panoramic views of the area.
The first waterfalls on the Waterfall Corridor are the Latourell Falls. There is a short walk to get here. Along the way, you can get a glimpse of the 224-foot waterfalls before arriving at their base. If you want to, you can get pretty close to the bottom of this fall. Latourell Falls reminds us of the South Falls at the Silver Falls State Park (but without the trail going behind). If you’re looking for a longer hike, you can hike the 2.4-mile Latourell Falls loop trail. This moderate hike will take you to the shorter Upper Latourell Falls before looping back to the parking lot.
The second waterfall, the Shepperd’s Dell, is right off the street from the Latourell Falls. By the way, there are signs at these waterfalls so you’ll know exactly which one you’re at. There is a set of stairs leading down to the curved pathway below. It is steep but nothing crazy. Even from the top of the stairs, we could see sections of the Shepperd’s Dell falls, cascading next to the concrete bridge. There are 8 sections (tiers) of Shepherd’s Dell Falls, totaling 220ft. The pathway leads to the upper tiers of the falls.
Our third waterfall on the Waterfall Corridor is the Bridal Veil Falls. This waterfall requires a bit more effort than the last two. You’ll have to hike about ⅓ of a mile to a viewing deck overlooking the falls. There are a few bridges and stairs along the way. From the view deck, you can admire the breathtaking 118-foot waterfalls cascading right below the Historic Columbia River Highway. You can see the highway bridging over the top of the Bridal Veil Falls.
The Wahkeena Falls trail is our favorite waterfall along the Columbia River Gorge Waterfall Corridor. From the parking lot, go right to follow the 0.2-mile trail to the Wahkeena Falls. The trail is a short uphill. When we went, wildflowers lined the trail right before the waterfalls. They made for a beautiful backdrop to the thunderous falls. Wahkeena Falls is about 258 ft. If you stand at the railing right in front of the waterfalls, you can feel the spraying water.
If you’re up for more hiking, you can keep going for another 0.3 miles to get to Fairy Falls. And if you’re even more ambitious, you can do the 5-mile loop to see Multnomah Falls and at least 3 other falls before getting back to the parking lot. We were planning to do this hike, but we got sick. So next time!
Multnomah Falls is the most photographed waterfall along the Waterfall Corridor. It is also the tallest waterfall in Oregon at 632 feet tall. Many visitors come here just for this. We saw Multnomah Falls a long time ago, before it became extremely popular. It is worth its fame. If you’re up for more hiking, you can continue uphill to several more waterfalls, such as the Dutchman Falls, Wiesendanger Falls, and Ecola Falls. This trail also continues to Wahkeena Falls and then loops back.
Before you visit Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge Waterfall Corridor, don’t forget to reserve your timed entry permit in advance. The permit is free, but there is $2 reservation fee. This is for the main parking lot (coords: 45°34’44.3″N 122°07’03.9″W) , accessible from Interstate 84. The permit is required between 9 am – 6 pm daily from the end of May to the beginning of September. By the way, if you get there before 9 am or after 6 pm, it is free. It is a 5-minute walk from the main parking lot to Multnomah Falls.
There is a private parking lot on the Historic Columbia River Highway, right across the street from Multnomah Falls. This lot is owned and run by Sasquatch Shuttle and could cost up to $20 per vehicle.
The last waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge Waterfall Corridor are Horsetail Falls. This Horsetail Falls is very different than the one in June Lake, CA. Horsetail Falls is a 216-foot fall that is visible from the Historic Columbia River Highway. From the trailhead, you can easily see the plunging waterfall. From here, you can hike about 0.5 miles to the Ponytail Falls. If you want to, you can also go further to get to the Triple Falls. We actually hiked this trail over to Oneonta Gorge back in the day. That was one heck of an experience hiking in the middle of that magical gorge. It’s too bad that the gorge has been closed due to fire for quite some time now. Fern Canyon in Northern California reminded us a lot of Oneonta Gorge, but also quite different.
If you’re just looking for a beautiful drive, gorgeous waterfalls, and or awesome hikes, this Waterfall Corridor in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon has it all! We highly recommend visiting. If you love scenic drives, check out the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. If you love waterfalls, check out Niagara Falls. It’s the mother of all waterfalls. Another one we love is Rainbow Falls in Mammoth Lakes and Shoshone Falls in Idaho.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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