Upper Latourell Falls is located roughly a mile upstream of Latourell Falls, and several hundred feet above it. Unlike many of the falls in the Columbia River Gorge, you have to work a bit to see this one. For that reason it is less likely to be very crowded, unlike many of the others.

The trail to the falls begins in the parking area, and immediately climbs up steeply. You have to ascend to the top of Latourell Falls, which is 249 feet high, and then continue climbing up through the upper gorge. The trail is steep in places, but well maintained, and very scenic. You follow the creek, upstream until you reach a small bridge at the base of the upper falls. The trail then continues downstream on the other side of the creek and back down to the lower falls.

The upper falls consists of two parts. The top half is a steep slide, and the bottom half is a plunge. There is a twist in the middle of the falls, making it difficult to actually see the entire falls all at once. More columnar rock is evident here.

When I visited the falls the sun was behind them, making it difficult to get a really good photo.

There are a lot of waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. The much more easily visited Latourell Falls is a mile downstream. A 10 mile drive east will take you past Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls, Oneonta Falls, Horsetail Falls, and many others.

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Last Modified: Monday, 05-Dec-2011 19:49:58 MST.