Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls
Full view of both tiers of the falls
Map
LocationColumbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45°34′33″N 122°06′55″W / 45.57595°N 122.11536°W / 45.57595; -122.11536
TypeTiered
Elevation627 ft (191 m)
Total height620 ft (189 m)
Number of drops2
Longest drop542 ft (165 m)
Average width10 ft (3 m)
WatercourseMultnomah Creek
Average
flow rate
150 cu ft/s (4.2 m3/s)
World height ranking434

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height.[1] The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The land surrounding the falls was developed by Simon Benson in the early-twentieth century, with a pathway, viewing bridge, and adjacent lodge being constructed in 1925. The Multnomah Falls Lodge and the surrounding footpaths at the falls were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Contemporarily, the state of Oregon maintains a switchback trail that ascends to a talus slope 100 feet (30 m) above the falls, and descends to an observation deck that overlooks the falls' edge. The falls attract over two million visitors each year,[2] making it the most-visited natural recreation site in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.[3]

  1. ^ Roza 2010, p. 11.
  2. ^ "Multnomah Falls". State of Oregon. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference usda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).