Five Winter Waterfalls

When it’s 35 degrees and pouring rain, it’s hard not to enter hibernation mode. Why head outdoors and get wet, when I can stay inside my warm house and watch the downpour through the windows?

But truthfully, there’s no better cure for cabin fever than heading outside into nature, no better way to appreciate what the Pacific Northwest has to offer—water, water, and more water.

So one chilly January day, my husband and I headed into the woods for a three-mile hike. It had been a dry winter, so we weren’t quite sure what we’d find. Perhaps the streams and waterfalls in the Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge would be mere trickles.

Or not.

They turned out to be spectacularly beautiful, one more reason I’m glad I live in the Pacific Northwest.

After a short, steep hike through the woods . . . we spotted Elowah Falls. It was majestic, misty, and ice-laden.

The hike continued up, up, up to offer sweet views of the Columbia River Gorge.

After walking the cliff edge (with a handrail), we discovered another waterfall on Upper McCord Creek:

Post-hike, our waterfall tour continued by road. The first stop on the historic highway was Horsetail Falls. Hmm, I’m curious why they called it that!

There was just enough time for a quick stop at Wahkeena Falls, but alas, not long enough for a hike upstream:

Our waterfall tour ended with the big daddy, one of Oregon’s most visited tourist attractions: Multnomah Falls.

Wondering why they call Multnomah Falls big?  Take a look at this drop!