Archive
Punchbowl Falls, Angel’s Rest
The Columbia Gorge is not only scenic, it has some great hikes. We were glad to be back and have some nice weather to do two different hikes. First we did Punchbowl Falls, 2 1/2 mile in on Eagle Creek. This hike isn’t too strenuous, although there are some scary drop offs to watch for. The Falls are gorgeous.
Our second hike was up to Angel’s Rest. This is the only hike we do that is rated “Hard”, not because of the length (total distance maybe 5 1/2 miles) but it is steep, rocky, and high. Elevation gain is some 1,500 feet, tough n old folks like us! But the view is absolutely superb. See the second set of pictures.
Punchbowl Falls hike
Angel’s Rest hike
Horsetail Falls, Columbia Gorge
Took advantage of the great weather to take a hike up to Horsetail Falls. A nice hike, with three falls. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go all the way to Triple Falls as a landslide has blocked the hiking trail. But it was a nice hike, and the views of the Gorge are spectacular.
Lower Horsetail Falls
Middle Horsetail Falls
Underneath Middle Horsetail Falls
A view of the falls from behind
Main view of Middle Horsetail Falls
Upper Horsetail Falls
This was a little disconcerting, it was a long way down
And this kept us from getting to Triple Falls
A view of the original road tunnel
A view of the Gorge, looking east
A last waterfall hike
Well, we will shortly leave the NorthWest, and it was inevitable…. our last waterfall hike. Labor day, beautiful weather, so off to an early start. Good thing too, the trails and parking lots were jammed by the time we left.
Anyway, we chose Triple Falls. A moderate but steep and rough hike. And some serious drop offs right next to the trail, so we had to watch where we put our feet. But again we had a great hike, enjoyed every bit of it, both the uphill and downhill. And the waterfall was beautiful as well. Looking forward to next year!
The switch back gives some idea of the steepness of this trail.
Don’t look now, but that is a LONG way down on the left!
The trail gets narrower and bumpier as we get higher
A peaceful scene before the waterfall itself
Better have decent hiking shoes!
At last, Triple Falls
Latourell Falls and “town”
Our time in the Pacific Northwest is drawing to a close, and today we took one of our last waterfall hikes. This time, it was to Latourell Falls, about 40 miles from Portland in the Columbia Gorge. Not a difficult hike, maybe 1.5 miles and modest uphill. But a great view of Latourell Falls.
The bottom falls are an easy walk from the parking lot. A very short, steep, paved path takes you to a terrific view of Lower Falls. Then, a nice hike through heavy forests takes you to the upper falls, an entirely different look. There were some trees that exhibited strange growth patterns.
After that, we took the long ways down to visit the old 1880’s lumber town of Latourell. It’s mostly gone, but this was a bustling town in the late 1880’s. It boasted 6 saloons, hotels, and presumably other attractions for hard working men. It became a popular spot for Portlanders, who too a ferry up the Columbia, hiked to the town, and partied. Some even walked to the falls for a look. There isn’t much left, we found an old structure in the woods, as well as some of the last of the now deserted homes.
A view of Lower Latourell Falls, 246 ft high.
Upper Latourell Falls, probably some 200 ft tall.
Remains of an old structure in the hills
One of the remaining old homes, now abandoned
Romola by a strange tree
John by a strange tree
This bridge built by the CCC in the 1930’s
Angel’s Rest hike, Columbia Gorge, OR
The Angel’s Rest hike in Oregon (not to be confused with the one in Zion NP) is a beautiful hike to a fabulous viewpoint. It isn’t that long at 2.5 miles, but it is all uphill…. 1,500 ft. altitude gain. And, it is rated moderate because much of the trail is quite rocky. But, if you wear good hiking shoes, its not a bad walk at all.
Of course, there was a waterfall- in this case, Coopey Creek
There were some rugged spots on this hike
Some interesting plant growth
A view west to the Columbia River
Looking south
Romola at the top. We started out at the river level, a good climb….
Panther Falls, WA
OK, one more waterfall from the Washington side of the Gorge. This time, Panther Falls was a longish drive (10 miles on simple one track but paved road) followed by a very short walk took us to the amazing Panther Falls.
Actually, there are three falls, all feeding into one pool at the bottom. Rather unique, usually one creek gives you one falls. And, in this case, each creek has a different “look” before it joins together. We had a nice picnic lunch, bought at the A&J Deli in Stevenson, WA and thoroughly enjoyed a quiet hour or so (except for the sound of rushing water….).
Top of the falls, creek number one…
A much more genteel creek, number two…
And the third creek all feed into:
Panther Creek Falls. Amazing!
Falls Creek Falls, Washington
The Columbia Gorge is well known for its many waterfalls. The best known ones are on the Oregon side, but there are some spectacular falls on the Washington side as well. This week we hiked to the eponymous “Falls Creek Falls”, about 60 miles from our home base in Vancouver, WA. It was a terrific hike.
The hike itself starts next to Falls Creek, and there are small water falls and larger pools that look most idyllic. Certainly photogenic! As you head towards the Falls, you walk alongside (and across) the Creek, so you hear and see the creek all the way up. It is just under 2 miles, all uphill but moderate. And when you get to the Falls you are greeted by a magnificent sight… the Falls themselves.
It is a two stage Falls, Upper and Lower. Both are quite scenic and very camera friendly!
Falls Creek, at the start of the trail
Part way up you can see the rocky Falls Creek bed
In fact, you have to cross it several times
Just as you get close, you can see the Upper Falls
And here is a full shot of the Falls. Both Upper and Lower are visible.
A slightly different angle of the Falls
Elowah Falls, Oregon
The Columbia Gorge is well know for its many waterfalls. Certainly, they are one of the man attractions. This week, we hiked to Elowah Falls, one of the few we have never been to before. Sure glad we didn’t miss this one!
Elowah Falls is actually two falls in one. It is about one mile hike in to get to the Lower Falls, an additional mile to get to Upper Falls. Both Falls are worth the hike in, the view from the top is totally different than from the bottom.
As we stared our hike, we noticed an old water tower. And later, the remains of an old iron pipeline. Presumably, these provide water for the steam locomotives that used to carry goods to and from the coast.
The old water tower, close to the bottom
The trail is good, mostly uphill
A spider web, just visible in the sunlight
The old steel pipeline
Our first view of the Lower Falls
And here is the Lower Falls
Romola, at the bottom of the Falls
A little froggy didn’t like our intruding his living space
A little flower
A view back to the Columbia River
The way up gets steeper, and narrower
We can see the top of Lower Falls on our way up
And here, at the top, Upper Elowah Falls
Horsetail Falls
We haven’t done much hiking this year, so with our time in this area limited, and beautiful weather, we thought it was time to get out the old hiking boots. We took the short drive into the Columbia Gorge and hike the full Oneonta Trail, which leads to three waterfalls. It was nice to get out again. We’ll miss being so close to such wonderful scenery when we leave.
Just so we know where we are….
Recent high winds added some obstacles to our hike
Romola isn’t sure if she’s Lewis or Clark
Signs of fall are evident
Oneonta Falls, a small fall along the way
Upper Horsetail Falls. You can walk under the falls
A view from behind the falls
There’s quite a bit of space behind the falls
Lower Horsetail Falls. Easily accesible from the Historic Highway.
Arrival at Ft. Vancouver
We completed the 1,000 mile drive from Dinosaur NM to Vancouver, WA in 3 days. The drive was relatively uneventful, except for some serious wind gusts through the Columbia Gorge. The scenery went from flat prairie fields to mountain terrain. We paralleled the Oregon Trail, the Lewis and Clark trail, and finally the Columbia river.
Now we can stay put for 3 months while we do our volunteer duties at Fort Vancouver. Below are a few pictures of the trip.
A lake along Highway 84, just north of Park City, UT
Flat prairie land as we enter Idaho
No vegetation to speak of as the road heads up
The Snake River on the horizon
Another view of the Snake River (Idaho)
Mountains on the horizon
The terrain changes as we head into Oregon
Finally, the scenery makes driving more interesting
But flat roads are not totally behind us!
Now this was a funky RV place, nothing but trucks and RV’s!
Along the Columbia River. Note the white caps, and the wind mills… tough driving!
The drive in the Columbia Gorge is quite spectacular
Arrival… Fort Vancouver!
Laninga's Travel Blog 