About the Falls

Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon. It is located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway and it is one of the Columbia River Gorge’s many popular sites to visit. According to Wikipedia.org, the falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m).

A foot trail leads to Benson Footbridge, shown in the picture on the left. The footbridge is 45-feet long and it allows visitors to cross 105 feet above the lower cascade. The trail continues upward to a platform at the top of the upper falls. Visitors get a bird’s-eye view of the Columbia Gorge and also of “Little Multnomah,” a small cascade slightly upstream from the “upper” falls. The footbridge is named for Simon Benson, who financed the bridge’s construction in 1914 by Italian stonemasons.