Waterfalls Start with steep basalt walls lining the south side of the Columbia River Gorge. Add dozens of mountain streams rushing down from Mt. Hood. The result? Waterfalls! The short trip between Portland and Hood River County leads visitors past one of the greatest concentrations of waterfalls in North America. In 2022 a new timed-entry system helped manage car visitation along the popular Historic Highway waterfall corridor west of Cascade Locks (see the Resources section for more information). Once in Hood River County, a hike through the forest is just the ticket to the splendor of hidden cascades tumbling through the trees. Here are a few must-see highlights. From Cascade Locks, a 4.4-mile roundtrip hike on the famed Pacific Crest Trail guides hikers through stands of old-growth Douglas fir to 74-foot Dry Creek Falls. Farther east at I-84 exit 55, an accessible paved path leads to a fine view of Starvation Creek Falls, plunging 186 feet through a ferny grotto. From the same parking area, the paved Historic Columbia River Highway Trail passes right below Cabin Creek Falls, tucked behind a mossy boulder, and Hole-inthe-Wall Falls, pouring 96 feet through a tight chasm. Can’t get enough? From Hole-in-the-Wall, hike up the Mt. Defiance Trail for another 0.2 miles to add yet another cascade, 20-foot Lancaster Falls. Starvation Creek Falls FROM LEFT: BROOKE WEEBER / TRAVEL OREGON; VISIT HOOD RIVER Walking and Hiking From downtown Hood River, Second Street leads to a lively waterfront area where the Hood River meets the Columbia River. A riverfront walking path meanders 1.5 miles from The Hook causeway to the west to the Hood River Bridge at the east. Along the way, the flat path passes an assortment of sandy beaches and grassy parks on the river. Hundreds of miles of hiking trails weave through the Mt. Hood National Forest that borders much of Hood River County. In Cascade Locks, the Dry Creek Falls Trail follows a portion of the 2,650-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail — which extends from Mexico to Canada — before arriving at its namesake waterfall, which tumbles 75 feet into an amphitheater of columnar basalt. The trail steadily but gradually ascends about 700 feet while passing through areas impacted by the 2017 Eagle Creek fire, where the sword ferns and fireweed emerging among charred trunks illustrate the rebirth of the forest. Cascade Locks makes the most of its riverfront setting with lovely Marine Park, where flat walking paths wander along the marina and across a footbridge to Thunder Island. The park’s campground attracts long-distance hikers tackling the Pacific Crest Trail all summer long. South on Oregon Nisei Veterans World War II Memorial Highway (OR-35), past the town of Mt. Hood, the Oak Ridge Trail caters to hearty hikers as it switchbacks more than 2,000 feet up a steep west-facing slope to Surveyor’s Ridge and Bald Butte, a grassy knoll blanketed in wildflowers in spring, with blossoming orchards below. Farther south down the highway, a 2.9-mile round-trip hike ascends about 550 feet up Lookout Mountain, which rewards the effort with views for miles. Thunder Island visithoodriver.com 17
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