Fairy Falls (Steve Hart)

Trail and small bench leading up to the falls (Jeff Statt)

Autumn leaves at the base of Fairy Falls (Chris Markes)

• Hikes including this location
  • Fairy Falls Loop Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)
  • Devils Rest via Wahkeena Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)
  • Multnomah-Wahkeena Loop Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)
  • Multnomah Falls-Devils Rest Loop Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)

• Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
• Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
• Latitude, Longitude: 45.57047, -122.12458
• Stream: unnamed
• Elevation: 895 feet
• Height 20 feet

Description

Fairy Falls is a veil type waterfall 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 plank 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 Columbia River 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 hotel lobby water feature, then quaintly trickles some thirty feet downstream to meet Wahkeena Creek. When the summer sun hits the falls just right, the cascade is said to glow, hence its original name "Ghost Falls". Despite maintaining a fairly constant volume year round, Fairy Falls can become a torrent after seasonal rains.

For some hikers too eager to turn around at Lemmons Viewpoint, but perhaps too unsure to travel too much further uphill, Fairy Falls makes for a nice compromise as a spot to about-face.

More Links

• Fairy Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)
• Fairy Falls (Columbia River Gorge)
• "Fairy Falls is on Wahkeena falls trail loop in the Gorge" (Statesman Journal)

Contributors

• Stevefromdodge (creator)
• Jeffstatt