Water definitely falls in Oregon
Home to 115 officially named waterfalls—and many more un-named, off trail falls—the Columbus River Gorge, an 85-mile stretch of river, holds the highest concentration of waterfalls in the world!
Multnomah Falls, the second largest in the US, is magnificent! Located just 30 minutes outside Portland, it's s must see. Multnomah Falls is a 'walk-up-to', 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water. It's literally a 5-minute walk from the parking lot, but if you want to get closer to the upper Falls, it's just a zig-zag walk-way away.
FUN FACT: You can see the falls in a quick scene in Twilight – when Edward and Bella are on their way to the baseball field they are on that bridge that is pictured behind us and in that scene you can see the falls in the background.
Above is Benson Bridge, it spans the falls at the first tier's misty base. Standing on the bridge you have a perfect view of the top tier's full 542-foot height and a vantage point over the second tier's 69-foot drop! The bridge is named for Simon Benson, a prominent Portland businessman who owned the falls in the early part of the 1900s. Before his death, Benson gave Multnomah Falls to the City of Portland, which later transferred ownership to the USDA Forest Service.
Hiking a bit more up the trail, we were granted with spectacular views of the Columbia Gorge, well worth the time!
If you like waterfalls, the Columbia River Gorge is filled with them, all just a short drive from Multnomah Falls. Horsetail Falls is below and immediately became one of our favorites!
Continuing our quest for all things green, we stumbled upon a rainforest in the Columbia Gorge area. Rainforest in Oregon - who knew?
Our kids will be the first to tell you, the best way to see the inside of Oneonta Gorge is to wade up the creek - anything to get in the water!
Originally, the old Columbia Gorge Highway crossed Oneonta Creek and bored through the neighboring cliff in a tunnel. Now the tunnel is great for photos like these;)
Thanks to the damp and cool weather of the Pacific Northwest, there is no shortage of moisture in the area, making for a lush and beautiful temperate rainforest ecosystem in the gorge. You can’t beat this setting.
With vegetation covering everything in sight, the place truly feels like a scene out of a dream. Spruce and fir trees, vine maples on the forest floor, five-foot-tall ferns, and the thick coats of moss covering every possible surface!
It was coffee time so we headed down to Hood River - a top destination for kiteboarders, windsurfers and wind junkies from around the world, come to find. Unbeknownst to us, it's also a hot spot for foodies and trekkers, we were not disappointed.
As we headed back to the RV we spotted another 'Twillght' movie location. Turns out the actual places where Twilight was filmed take place in both Oregon and Washington. Leaving the falls we discovered The Swan family 'home'.
Of course, like 'The Goonies' house, the sign on the tree says, 'please respect our privacy' - or to that sort. Just as well, we needed to continue on our journey anyhow:)
