Photography, Travel

Gorgeous Afternoon

After 3 long years, I finally made it back to the Pacific Northwest. While COVID is still around, it seems to have waned enough here in the western US to mostly resume normal life. So, for the first time since 2019, I was in Portland, Oregon visiting my investment clients there.

I had stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way into Portland as I needed a restroom break, but unfortunately the parking people were not too pleased with me parking the truck and trailer in their designated RV spots even though a large portion of the parking lot was empty. So, I had a free afternoon one day while in Portland and drove back out to the falls without my trailer to take some photos.

Here is the “traditional” view of the falls from one of the platforms near the visitor center.

The weather in Portland was quite hot for the area at the end of August and beginning of September this year. It was a beautiful afternoon, but a bit warm in the sun. A lot of things have changed around the falls since the last time I was there. Today, in order to visit Multnomah Falls one must purchase a ticket from the US Forest Service, and the ticket must be purchased online. This was an interesting experience as there was no advance notice of this other than a sign in the parking lot. Fortunately, one of the attendants was very kind and explained that the best phone signal location was out at the end of the parking lot closest to the westbound lanes of Interstate 84.

Here is a view of the lower section of Multnomah Falls. Most shots never capture the stream running out of the falls.

With the ticket now purchased and on my phone, I was able to enter the facility. The shade and the cool air next to the falls were a welcome relief from the near 100°F heat that I had been experiencing in Portland since I arrived. Multnomah Falls is currently administered by the U.S. Forest Service. The tickets that I mentioned above are completely separate from any National Park Service passes or the Golden Eagle Pass. The tickets are quite inexpensive, and are mostly used to control the flow of traffic and the number of visitors through the area as Multnomah Falls is the most visited natural feature area in the Pacific Northwest.

Here is another view of the bridge and falls from the trail that goes up to the bridge over the lower section of the falls.

I took a few photos while I was there, and it was just nice to get a break from the heat in the city. Multnomah Falls is only about 31 miles from downtown Portland east of town along Interstate 84. You can also reach the falls by taking old US 30 as well.

I took this in the later afternoon at a view area stop along I-84 as I was heading back toward Portland. This is looking eastward up the Columbia River Gorge. Unfortunately, there were some fires to the east which were causing a considerable amount of smoky haze over the gorge.

That small building near the top right of the above photo is the Vista House. If you haven’t been to Vista House it is well worth the drive, and the views of the gorge from there are spectacular.

Anyway, being able to visit the Columbia Gorge and Multnomah Falls was a very nice afternoon treat. I didn’t realize this until I met some people coming down from a trail that would’ve taken me to a viewpoint above the actual top of the falls, but there are numerous hiking trails all over the area around Multnomah Falls. So, this gives me another excuse to come back to the area once again.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed my little photo tour of Multnomah Falls near Portland, Oregon. Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to stop by my blog, and I hope that you have had a wonderful summer and are undertaking some great adventures this autumn.