Wahkeena Falls is another of the many scenic and easily visited waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. The waterfall is listed at 242 feet high, but unlike the nearby Latourell Falls and Multnomah Falls, Wahkeena Falls consists of a number of drops, and has no single plunge of exceptional height. It is actually not easy to see all of this waterfall due to the twists and turns the separate drops make.

The waterfall is visible from the parking area. From here you can see three or four of the drops. A trail leads up to a foot bridge that crosses just below the last drop, which is about 25 feet high. Up close you can only the last two drops of the falls. The trail continues up the gorge wall, eventually reaching Fairy Falls. You can continue hiking all the way to Multnomah Falls.

The word 'Wahkeena' is a native word for "Most Beautiful", or at least that is the theory. Wahkeena Falls also forms its own ecosystem. The creek is a completely isolated body of water. It arises from two springs and immediately begins to tumble downhill. The falls create a barrier preventing things from coming upstream, resulting in an isolated ecosystem containing at least two animals found nowhere else.

There are a lot of waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. Fairy Falls is upstream. Multnomah Falls, Weisendanger Falls and Ecola Falls are a mile or so the west, and many more falls are past that. Wahkeena Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Latourell Falls are a few miles to the east.

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	View from Parking Lot

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 13-Dec-2017 04:48:39 MST.