19 min
Overview
This is one of the must-do easy hikes in the Columbia River Gorge, a sort of mini-Eagle Creek without the distance. The trail reopened in August 2019 after a two-year closure following the Eagle Creek Fire. While vegetation and trees along the route are recovering, frequent slides have turned the hike into an out and back excursion rather than a lollipop loop. The outing is at its most pleasant from fall through spring, but even on hot summer days, the grotto-like amphitheater at Wahclella Falls offers a cool respite where day hikers often tarry for long periods. From the Wahclella Falls Trailhead, start down Wahclella Falls Trail. The first part of the trail is a leisurely flat walk on a closed access road shaded by cottonwoods, alders, big-leaf maples, and Douglas-firs. At the end on the road is a small dam and fish ladder managed by the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. This is also where you'll see the first burn scars from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. The trail narrows to a single tread and, just past the dam, there's a blind curve around a bluff as you enter the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. Suddenly, you'll be visually assaulted by Munra Falls. This waterfall might be a sideshow to the bigger falls upstream, but this slide falls is so close that you might get sprayed as you cross the bridge at its base. Past Munra Falls, the trail climbs quite a bit up the east side of the canyon, transitioning from the older, softer sedimentary deposits of the Eagle Creek Formation to the 15 million-year-old Columbia River Basalts. Two massive Douglas-firs by the side of the trail were scorched by the 2017 fire. There are some steep dropoffs, so keep close watch on your little ones. After a flight of stairs, you'll soon begin to descend. Look down the precipitous slope to burned maples and hazels coming back from their roots. A couple of gabions have been installed to bolster the tread at dangerous slide areas. Come to the former Wahclella Falls Trail Junction. Here trail crews reinforced the area with extensive rock work, but
Trail Stats
0.0 km
97 m
102 m
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TKO put tools to trail here.png