1:00 p.m. departure
The hiking in the Columbia River Gorge is some of the best in the world, but with hundreds of miles of networked trails over two states and frequent closures for wildfires and erosion, selecting the right trail is a tall order. Zipping out of the city for a few hours, just long enough to see some of the highlights and get in an hour of hiking in the forest, is an ideal way to fit the most into a few days in Portland.
After meeting at our shop, we’ll take about a 30 minute drive into the Columbia River Gorge, east of Portland. Here we’ll start at a stunning overlook of the gorge, visiting the iconic Vista House (during the fall and winter months, weather and schedules permitting), and then drive to our hike’s trailhead. We’ll visit a waterfall and then hike up its creek to a hidden waterfall, weather permitting; or we’ll choose shorter hikes, each with their own up-close encounters with tumbling water. Whichever route we choose, your hike will take you close enough to feel the waterfall’s spray and touch its basalt walls! Waterfall air — ionized water — is real magic, proven to make you happy.
As a way of topping off your adventure, this tour will end with a visit to Multnomah Falls — the most photographed waterfall in Oregon and among the most picturesque waterfalls in the world.
Our commitment to these tours is one of storytelling, not just of the recent history of settlers, pioneers and loggers, before the century-old highway, but one of many peoples with rich mythologies. We tell the stories that have been told to us by the indigenous people as best we can. But what’s most important, we remember the long long history this place holds.
4 hours, 2.0 miles (3 km) hiking, $60.