Things to do nearMultnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls sits within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in northwestern Oregon, roughly 30 miles east of Portland along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The waterfall is fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain above, which means it flows consistently throughout the year rather than drying to a trickle in summer. The basalt that forms its sheer face was laid down by ancient lava flows and carved over millennia by the same glacial floods that shaped the broader gorge.

The paved trail from the lower viewing area to Benson Bridge is short and accessible, making the base of Multnomah Falls reachable for most visitors within minutes of arriving. For those willing to climb further, a steeper trail winds up more than 700 feet in elevation to a platform at the very crest of the upper falls, where the Columbia River stretches out below and the forested ridgelines of Washington State rise across the water.

The Multnomah Falls Lodge, a stone structure completed in 1925 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, anchors the visitor experience at the base. It houses a restaurant serving Pacific Northwest cuisine and a small interpretive area maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. Rangers stationed here offer information about the gorge's geology, ecology, and the Indigenous peoples of the region for whom this landscape has deep cultural significance.

Few natural landmarks in Oregon are as immediately rewarding as Multnomah Falls, offering dramatic scenery, accessible trails, and a sense of place rooted in both geology and human history, all within an hour of a major city.