First hike at Latourell Falls

Today was one of those rare days in the spring in Oregon when the sun shines all day long and the threat of rain becomes a [somewhat] distant memory. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful, sunny & warm day by going for a hike in the Columbia Gorge. Rob picked one that was relatively short because it was our first hike of the season, and it was awesome! We went to a lesser-known place called Latourell Falls, off of the old scenic highway. The hike was about 2.5 miles and has an elevation gain of 520 feet.

We took Sheena along and she loved every second. She sniffed everything along the trail and was good when passing other people [I'm a proud dog owner!!]. Trillium was in full bloom all along the trail - the most I have seen since we've moved out here. The trail is a nice loop. We hiked it backwards - starting from Latourell falls, under the scenic highway, then up a steep climb to the first viewpoint. From there we hiked down to the second waterfall, Upper Latourell Falls. Then it loops back to the first waterfall where we started.

It was cool because unlike other waterfalls I've seen since we've been here (maybe around 20?) Latourell Falls has distinct basalt columns. The entire cliff is made up of the basalt, which is incredibly thick. I've seen basalt around the Gorge before, but not in the columnar structure like Latourell Falls. This is the same type of rock you can see in the famous "Giant's Causeway" in Northern Ireland. Basalt gets pretty crumbly over time - which is why falling rocks are a hazard in the area and the cliffs aren't entirely safe. We saw a group of people standing at the top next to the falls - on a cliff that was detached underneath from the crumbling basalt.

This is a hike I will definitely return to again. It's just as cool as Eagle Creek, without the obnoxious visitors and steep drop-offs along the trail, which is better for Sheena's safety too! We had an awesome day. Check out our photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamers818/sets/72157629400788860/