Multnomah Falls
| Multnomah Falls | |
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Full view of both tiers
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| Location | Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA |
| Coordinates | 45°34′33″N 122°06′55″W / 45.57595°N 122.11536°WCoordinates: 45°34′33″N 122°06′55″W / 45.57595°N 122.11536°W |
| Type | Tiered |
| Elevation | 627 ft (191 m) |
| Total height | 620 ft (189 m) |
| Number of drops | 2 |
| Longest drop | 542 ft (165 m) |
| Average width | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Watercourse | Multnomah Creek |
| Average flow rate |
150 cu ft/s (4.2 m3/s) |
| World height ranking | 434 |
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Multnomah Falls Lodge and Footpath
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| Location | Bridal Veil, Oregon, vicinity |
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| Nearest city | Cascade Locks, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 45°34′33″N 122°06′55″W / 45.57595°N 122.11536°W |
| Built | 1915 |
| Architect | A.E. Doyle |
| NRHP Reference # | 81000512 |
| Added to NRHP | April 22, 1981 |
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway.
The waterfall formed at the end of a hanging valley created by the Missoula Floods.
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). The two drops are due to a zone of more easily eroded basalt at the base of the upper falls.
Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon. It is credited by a sign at the site of the falls, and by the United States Forest Service, as the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. However, there is some skepticism surrounding this distinction, as Multnomah Falls is listed as the 156th tallest waterfall in the United States by the World Waterfall Database (this site does not distinguish between seasonal and year-round waterfalls).
Underground springs from Larch Mountain are the year-round source of water for the waterfall, augmented by spring runoff from the mountain's snowpack and rainwater during the other seasons.
A paved foot trail leads to Benson Footbridge, a 45-foot (14 m)-long footbridge that allows visitors to cross 105 feet (32 m) above the lower cascade. After a viewpoint of the upper falls, the trail continues up many switchbacks to a platform at the top of the upper falls where 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, which is not visible from ground level. The Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail starts at the falls and continues through the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge to Starvation Creek. The footbridge is named for Simon Benson, who in 1914 financed Italian stonemasons to construct the bridge.
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Wikipedia