Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.

I’m a real sucker for a beautiful waterfall and Oregon has a plethora of them (pop culture reference: El Guapo would approve of my wording there 😂). Multnomah Falls may be the most famous falls you’ve never heard of. Majestic, vibrant and perfectly accentuated with the Benson Bridge.

If you’re looking to “get lost”, this hike isn’t it – at least at first. You can see Multnomah Falls from the highway, there’s extensive parking, and the area is quite touristy. Understandable given its beauty. It is absolutely worth seeing, and much fewer people actually do the hike.

Without further ado, here is Multnomah Falls…

Look familiar? You’ve seen it on many a postcard –  and many a poem has been written atop it (in picture form, of course). Benson Bridge was built in 1914 and allows you to get up close and personal with Multnomah, also leading you to a mesh of hiking trail options.

Multnomah self-pic loading …

I’m also a real sucker for foggy pictures and this day did not disappoint. In fact, you’ll see some of my favorite pictures I have ever taken on this post.

You walk up to Benson Bridge, cross to the left and keep walking and you’ll soon be away from most of the crowd. The first beautiful view was of the Columbia River. You’re quite high up and you can see that the highway isn’t far away. Still, it’s a serene hike and you feel you’re hangin’ out with nature.

Some of the hike follows Multnomah Creek, which is just a beautiful, rocky, mossy beauty of a creek…

I absolutely love how this hike is so close to the creek. So peaceful…

The hike can get pretty wet so make sure you wear the right shoes. I love this part of the hike with a mossy boulder as protection…

You’ll start to see the first fruits of your hiking labor soon after. A preview of Wiesendanger Falls. Or is it Ecola Falls? I never found out with certainty and Google Maps certainly does not help…

Keep walking, of course, and you’ll see the falls in all its glory…

A beautiful falls in its own right!

And now for one of my favorite pictures in my portfolio…

Wow. It’s foggy. It’s mossy. It’s a creek. It’s in Oregon. Absolutely perfect. I love how the fog helps define the shape of the trees.

As I kept hiking, the trail deviates from the creek but the fog is still ready to put on a show…

Some would find it creepy, gloomy or drab. I find it mysterious and peaceful. You can feel the thickness of the fog as you walk through it. That’s living, right there.

Multiple spots on the hike you are afforded a view of the mountainous Columbia River Gorge area…

Soon you’ll go through a serious set of switchbacks – thankfully going down from this direction!

The next falls is easy to identify. Someone at some point was proud enough to create a plaque for it…

And here is the aptly named Fairy Falls…

And a Self-Pic at Fairy Falls…

As I kept hiking, I found this downed tree laid over up a steep hill to be an interesting perspective…

Soon you’ll be hiking aside the rushing rapids of Wahkeena Creek (certainly depending on time of year)…

You eventually hike your way down to the other bookended waterfall that is quite beautiful…

On this pic I almost got photobombed by an elderly man. Hey, it’s his hike too! …

There’s a bit of a walk back to your starting point where you’re walking parallel to the road (unless you want to turn this into an out-and-back trail and double the distance).

I made it back, loaded up on some DELICIOUS food at Multnomah Falls Lodge and I was good to go. There’s something about historic park buildings and restaurants that really get me excited. And check it out… I happened to catch them before Christmas (my favorite holiday)…

Not the healthiest of meals, but I had just burned quite a few calories. It’s give and take, right!?

This hike was monumentally beautiful with so many features to see. The trail system is quite elaborate so be sure to orient yourself to the trail you’ll be hiking (AllTrails is helpful – so is Google Maps).

I visited Multnomah again back in 2022 and tried to cross the Benson Bridge in sub-freezing temperatures. We’ll just say – I highly recommend against it without ice skates! The waterfall mist accumulates on Benson Bridge to create a thick layer of ice.

I’m sure I will be back. I have many hikes left in this area to explore and it is breathtakingly beautiful.

Total Distance/Time: 5.6 miles [Note: I did not collect my hiking time; this was before my bucket list was created ]

Calories Burned: 1,130

Trail Type: Point-to-point (you can “hike” near the parking lot to get back)

Trail Features: Waterfalls, creeks, moss, fog, pedestrian bridges, mountain views, boulders

Best Time to Hike: Probably in the fall or spring

Difficulty Rating: 7.5/10

Trailhead Coordinates: 45.5778700, -122.1172700

Trail Tips:

• Traction/Freezing Weather: Don’t go when it’s below freezing, areas of the hike can be super slippery.
• Busy Season: If you’re looking for alone time, going in between Thanksgiving and Christmas seems to be a great time (for many hikes, that time is wonderful). If you go in the middle of summer, I suspect at least Multnomah will be overrun with tourists.