Wahclella Falls  -  Trail # 436
Oregon

Length:  1.8 miles  round-trip

Trail Uses:

           

Facilities available:

 

Season of Use:  Year-round

Elevation:  300 feet 

Visitor Use:  X Heavy

Access: Eastbound or westbound I-84 – Take Bonneville Dam exit # 40.  Turn south and find paved parking area.

Description:   The trail begins on an old, gated road alongside Tanner Creek.  Pass a small intake dam for the Bonneville Fish Hatchery and continue into the narrowing canyon.  A tributary stream creates a dramatic waterfall at the first bridge, and the trail forks after 0.7 mile.  If you have small children it is advisable to stay on the lower trail and avoid the sheer-sided return loop currently the second bridge is out.  Wahclella Falls is one of the more spectacular waterfalls in the gorge-a 350-foot two-tiered plunge with the final 60-foot section providing a powerful horsetail fall into an enormous splash pool.

Features:  The trail winds past house-sized boulders left behind by a 1973 landslide.  Watch for water ouzels bobbing and diving on the side of the stream, and for spawning salmon at the base of the falls during late fall.

Map:      Wahclella Falls
Photo:    Wahclella Falls Trailhead

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area