Fairy Falls
From Portland Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes to this location:
- Fairy Falls Hike (TH | <-- --> | LOG)
- Hikes including this location
- Devil's Rest via Wahkeena Hike (TH | <-- --> | LOG)
- Multnomah-Wahkeena Loop Hike (TH | <-- --> | LOG)
- Latitude: 45.57047
- Longitude: -122.12458
- Maps: Portland Hikers Maps Google Earth
- Stream: unnamed
- Elevation: 900 feet
- Height 20 feet
Contents |
Description
Fairy Falls is a veil type cataract along an unnamed spring-fed side-creek in Wahkeena Canyon. Hikers traveling the Wahkeena trail will cross the creek just in front of the falls on a makeshift footbridge. The intimacy of the oft-photographed setting more than makes up for the lack of majesty of the falls themselves. At twenty feet high, it is downright paltry compared to dozens of Gorge cousins - but it continues to have tremendous appeal for visitors. The falls fan out as it dribbles down the rock-face like an ostentatious lobby water feature, then quaintly trickles some thirty feet downstream to meet the main Wahkeena Creek. When the summer sun hits the falls just right, the falls are said to glow, hence it's original name "Ghost Falls"*.
For some hikers too eager to turn around at Lemmon's Viewpoint, but perhaps too unsure to travel too much further uphill, Fairy Falls makes for a nice compromise as a spot to about-face. But don't return before resting on the nearby bench, snapping some photos, and taking in the splendor of the lush landscape all around.
Despite maintaining a fairly constant volume year round, Fairy Falls can become a torrent after seasonal rains.
Incidentally, Fairy Falls has 700+ foot namesake in Washington State.
- from Bryan Swann's Waterfalls of the Northwest (link below)
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Fairy Falls
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Fairy Falls
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Day Hike! Columbia Gorge, by Seabury Blair, Jr.
- Afoot and Afield Portland/Vancouver, by Douglas Lorain
- 35 Hiking Trails, Columbia River Gorge, by Don & Roberta Lowe
- Columbia River Gorge, 42 Scenic Hikes, by Don & Roberta Lowe
- Hiking the Columbia River Gorge - 1st and 2nd Editions, by Russ Schneider
- 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon - 3rd Edition, by William L Sullivan
More Links
Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)
- Jeffstatt