Photo by Adam Sawyer
Wahclella Falls receives far fewer visitors than the average Columbia River Gorge waterfall, perhaps due to lack of stature and visibility, as well as length of hike. The 60-foot falls occupy a peaceful grotto at the end of a deep canyon. Although it is often overlooked by hikers feeling the need for more exercise, Wahclella rates as high as any hike in the area in terms of beauty, if not distance.
A family–friendly, two-mile, 380-foot-elevation-gain hike provides exercise, but also allows hikers of almost any age and aptitude the opportunity to explore and enjoy the canyon’s many attributes. The trail starts alongside Tanner Creek (it used to be a road) until it ends near a small dam that diverts water to a fish hatchery downstream. From here the trail begins to head upstream, but not before a bridge takes you within an arm’s reach of another 60-foot waterfall, Munra Falls. Munra looks as much like a water park slide as it does a naturally occurring cascade, and it often gives the family a light misting in late winter and spring. The trail forks around the 0.8-mile mark. Either direction will lead to the falls, but take the trail to the right that descends back down to the creek and a long wooden bridge. This is a great spot to observe the gigantic boulders that re-formed the creek after a 1973 landslide. The building-sized obstructions created a series of mini-falls and pools.
If you continue upstream, the sound of Wahclella can soon be heard echoing through the canyon, and you’ll catch your first glimpse of the falls soon after. Now the area opens up and becomes endlessly explorable. There are boulders to climb and small pools to wade through, but be mindful where the kids dip their feet. This is still a dangerously fast moving creek in spots. There is even a mini-cave just before a bridge that re-crosses the creek on its way to the falls. You can’t go back too far, but my daughter refuses to pass by without inspecting the darkness, just in case it has changed since our last visit. After the bridge, the trail leads up to a rocky viewpoint of the falls. While the falls are only 60 feet high, the water is forced out of a narrow slot that produces an impressive thundering water hose effect. From here, the trail leads back downstream to the trailhead, and usually an ice cream stop.
To access the trailhead, take I-84 East to the Bonneville Dam Exit 40. Turn right and go 100 yards to the turnaround and parking area. There is a $5 day-use fee if you don’t have a Northwest Forest Pass.
-Adam Sawyer
Photo by Adam Sawyer
