Multnomah Falls, Oregon's most accessible treasure

Multnomah Falls near Interstate 84 is west of the Bridge of the GodsMultnomah Falls Lodge is nearby and has great salmon dinnersThe Columbia River and Crown Point are nearby

Multnomah Falls is comprised of an upper and lowers falls, just like its cousin far to the south, Yosemite Falls. Nearby to this thundering Oregon waterfall are Portland, Interstate 84, Bonneville Dam, Rooster Rock State Park, Crown Point Gorge Overlook, and Cascade Locks with its magnificent Bridge of the Gods (make the sidetrip to cross over the Bridge even if you don't plan on touring the Washington side as the tollbridge fee is small, and the gawking even better the second time across the bridge!). Bring a raincoat or umbrella to any of these areas in the western portion of the Columbia River Gorge, as they all get copious rainfall and can be subject to very strong east or west winds.

Salmon Nation, and RiverSong

Throughout the Columbia River Gorge please be mindful, this is an area of Oregon singularly rich in Native American lore and tradition. The Columbia River Gorge for millenia ran rich with the salmon that was a principal food and trading item for Native peoples throughout a vast area at least as large as the current States of Oregon, Washinton and Idaho..... The loss of such spiritually irreplaceable fishing grounds as Celilo Falls in 1957 cannot be truly appreciated by those of us who took the Falls away. What remains is the depressed Celilo Village, about 12 miles east of The Dalles. We zip past its longhouse and decrepit homes and trailers on I-84 at 70 mph, barely noticing the grim circumstances-- a place from which the heart has been ripped....Oregon author Craig Lesley writes poignantly about what happened to Celilo Falls and its peoples in his acclaimed novels WinterKill (1984) and Riversong (1989), both books peopled with total authenticity by Native American characters making their way in a World without Celilo. The modern Northwest movement calling itself "Salmon Nation" has roots in an enduring and ancient truth of the Northwest, the Salmon feeds the peoples and brings them together in Peace.... Please visit their website: Salmon Nation.com

"Friends of the Gorge:"--- for well over two decades, the "Friends of the Gorge" have worked hard to fulfill their mission. I will quote from their website: "Friends of the Columbia Gorge shall vigorously protect the scenic, natural, cultural and recreational resources within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area." Click here to learn more about this organization and their varied opportunities for volunteerism.

Click here for map showing the historic tribal lands and tribes of Oregon.


Drive one half hour eastward from Multnomah Falls, towards where Celilo Falls used to thunder. Throw your umbrella away, it's a much drier, sunnier environment. It's the Eastern Gorge (click)


Hood River, Troutdale and White Salmon and Gresham are also close.

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** Images and writing in this website copyright and property of Bruce B. Johnson, an Oregon photographer. Contac: brucej@oregonphotos.com

 

Page last revised 1/14/2023