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Physical
Multnomah Falls
Multnomah Falls is a two-tiered, 620-foot waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge and the tallest waterfall in Oregon.
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The idea
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, Oregon. It drops in two tiers down basalt cliffs and, at 620 feet, is the tallest waterfall in Oregon. The upper falls drops 542 feet and the lower falls 69 feet, with a gentle 9-foot slope between them. The falls split in two because a band of more easily eroded basalt lies at the base of the upper falls.
Underground springs on Larch Mountain feed the falls all year, with extra water from melting snow and rain. The falls take their name from the Multnomah people, whose creation story tells of a young woman who gave her life to save her village from a plague.
The Benson Footbridge crosses 105 feet above the lower falls and gives a wide view of the upper falls. From there, a trail climbs eleven switchbacks to a wooded slope above the falls and then drops to an observation deck at the falls' edge. The stone Multnomah Falls Lodge, completed in 1925, stands near the base. Visitors reach the falls from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 3
What is the total height of Multnomah Falls?
Composition
what it's made of
- Upper Falls — The taller drop, 542 feet high.
- Lower Falls — The shorter drop, 69 feet high, below the footbridge.
- Basalt Cliffs — Layers of basalt rock; a weaker zone splits the falls into two drops.
- Larch Mountain Springs — Underground springs that supply water all year.
- Benson Footbridge — A 45-foot footbridge built by Italian stonemasons and paid for by Simon Benson.
- Multnomah Falls Lodge — A stone lodge at the base of the falls, completed in 1925.
Connection
how it relates
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- The waterfall formed around 15,000 years ago at the end of a hanging valley created by the Missoula floods. Lewis and Clark noted the falls in their journals in 1805. On Labor Day 1915, Simon Benson donated over 1,400 acres, including most of the falls, to the city of Portland. In September 2017, the Eagle Creek Fire forced the lodge and the paths to the falls to close.
- Now
- The lodge reopened in November 2017, and by November 2018 crews had repaired and reopened the trails above the falls.
- Next
- Because the parking lot often fills on summer days and holidays, more visitors will likely arrive by shuttle, bike or transit.