Wahkeena Falls
Wahkeena Falls is a waterfall in Oregon, at a modelled elevation of 50 m. Indian Mountain stands 1,491 m to the east, 15 miles off. The nearest named place is Keith L. Lemmons, a historic site 0.1 miles away. Historic Columbia River runs past it.
The story
Wahkeena Falls is a 242-foot (74 m) waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge in the state of Oregon. The waterfall is unlike nearby Multnomah Falls in that the water does not directly plunge to the ground. Wahkeena Falls, rather, has a more subtle cascading flow. These falls have been featured in numerous travel guides and in photography books. Spellings of this name are dubious because the word is an English transliteration of a Native American (reportedly Yakama) phrase meaning most beautiful. Wahkeena Falls is along the Historic Columbia River Highway, about 13 miles (21 km) east of Troutdale, Oregon. A 0.2-mile (320 m) hike from the parking lot at the base leads to the stone bridge that crosses the main part of the falls. That trail continues on east to Multnomah Falls, the next falls to the east. This waterfall is visible directly from the Historic Columbia River Highway. The Wahkeena Creek Bridge, an 18-foot-long (5.5 m) bridge having "a simple reinforced-concrete slab span", below the falls, is a contributing structure in the Historic Columbia River Highway, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and was further designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2000.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q38034, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 73.7 m
How to reach it
- On the Historic Columbia River, National
- 1.3 mi off the JCT CROSSING OF GIBBONS CREEK VIC WASHOUGAL TO JCT PLYMOUTH INDUSTRIAL RD
- 10.8 mi off the Mount Hood, National
- 21.8 mi off the JCT SR 500 VIC VANCOUVER TO JCT SR 5 VIC WOODLAND
Overlooks nearby
- Lemmons Viewpoint · 1 mi
- Quiver Point · 3 mi
- Franz Lake Viewpoint · 3 mi
- Pioneer Point · 3 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Mist Falls: 0.2 mi
- Fairy Falls: 0.3 mi
- Dalton Falls: 0.4 mi
- Shady Creek Falls: 0.5 mi
- Lower Multnomah Falls: 0.6 mi
- Devils Rest: 0.8 mi
- Angel's Rest: 1.4 mi
- Cougar Rock: 1.6 mi
- Archer Mountain: 3.4 mi
- Sherrard Point: 3.5 mi
- Prindle Park: 4.8 mi
- Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint: 7.0 mi
- Hamilton Island Recreation Area: 8.1 mi
- Tanner Creek Recreation Area: 9.0 mi
- Mable Kerr Park: 9.2 mi
- Pierce Island: 6.6 mi
- Oxbow Regional Park: 9.5 mi
- Chinquapin Bluffs West: 10.1 mi
- Sandy River Grove Reserve: 10.2 mi
- Indian John Island: 10.7 mi
- Running Free: 9.2 mi
- Quaytskin: 11.8 mi
- Bald Eagle: 12.1 mi
- Devoted Passion: 12.5 mi
- Fine Tuned Tulle: 15.4 mi
- Keith L. Lemmons: 0.1 mi
- To the Oregon Pioneers: 0.6 mi
- Blue Star Memorial Highway: 0.6 mi
- Cape Horn School: 3.0 mi
- Pioneer's Stone: 5.1 mi
- Rose Garden Labyrinth: 7.1 mi
- Vegetable Garden: 13.8 mi
- Herb Garden: 13.8 mi
- Community Garden: 14.6 mi
- Thom Park Community Garden: 15.3 mi
- Wahkeena Spring: 0.5 mi
- Tanner Spring: 10.8 mi
- Big Cedar Spring: 11.3 mi
- Big Cedar Spring: 11.3 mi
- Indian Springs: 14.6 mi
- Waespe Point: 2.2 mi
- Cape Horn: 3.4 mi
- Farside: 3.8 mi
- Ozone Wall: 4.1 mi
- Red Bluffs: 12.0 mi
- Bonneville Fish Hatchery: 9.1 mi
- Jerry's Car Barn: 10.7 mi
- Union Pacific Railcar: 12.6 mi
- Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge: 13.2 mi
- Camas Potholes: 13.4 mi
- Wahkeena Picnic Site: 0.1 mi
- Ainsworth Day Use Area: 3.5 mi
- Eagle Creek Day Use Area: 10.7 mi
- Sunset Falls Day Use Area: 17.9 mi
- Hemlock Picnic Area: 18.3 mi
- Bradford Island Visitors Center: 10.0 mi
- Barn Exhibit Hall: 12.6 mi
- Harlow House Museum: 12.6 mi
- Depot Rail Museum: 12.6 mi
- Cascade Locks Historical Museum: 13.0 mi
- Cottonwood Beach: 10.2 mi
- Sandy Swimming Hole: 11.6 mi
- Sandy River Beach: 12.5 mi
- Swim beach: 15.8 mi
- Home Valley Beach: 19.2 mi
- Bridal Veil: 2.5 mi
- Dodson: 4.9 mi
- Latourell: 4.9 mi
- Ed's Trail Arch: 13.6 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 14.6 miles of Wahkeena Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Mountain | E 97° | 1,491 m | 14.6 mi |
| Buck Peak | ESE 112° | 1,443 m | 14.0 mi |
| Table Mountain | ESE 110° | 1,383.8 m | 12.2 mi |
| Tanner Butte | E 93° | 1,355 m | 10.7 mi |
| Silver Star Mountain | NNW 336° | 1,337 m | 13.1 mi |
| Eagle Butte | ESE 104° | 1,270 m | 10.7 mi |
| Sturgeon Rock | NNW 334° | 1,267 m | 13.3 mi |
| Big Bend Mountain | SE 127° | 1,224 m | 10.5 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:42 | 19:21 |
| June solstice | 05:20 | 20:16 | 21:02 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:29 | 19:08 |
| December solstice | 07:47 | 15:38 | 16:28 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 39 | 41 | 44 | 49 | 55 | 59 | 65 | 65 | 60 | 52 | 44 | 39 |
| Precip in | 11.1 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 7.5 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 7.8 | 12.4 | 12.2 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Skamania Fish Hatchery, 5 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Nov–May — fullest in Jan, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 129 | 104 | 92.5 | 91.0 | 74.5 | 48.2 | 22.6 | 16.3 | 20.9 | 44.1 | 108 | 127 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge North Fork Bull Run River Near Multnomah Falls, OR, 7 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/910313597
Day trips start here
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