Top Tips for Visiting Latourell Falls, a Not-So-Hidden Gem of the Columbia River Gorge

Join us for the Latourell Falls loop hike in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, where we’ll visit two waterfalls, catch some river views, and explore a fabulous old Columbia River Highway bridge. In today’s video, I’ll share hike highlights and tips for your visit to Latourell Falls. 🔔 If you enjoy, this video, remember to give it a thumbs-up and subscribe to our channel!    / @adventurespnw   At 30-40 minutes’ drive east of Portland, Latourell Falls is the closest of the major Columbia River Gorge waterfalls to the city. In the late 1800s, the Columbia River Highway hadn’t yet been built, but visitors would regularly come from Portland by steamboat just for a picnic in Latourell, then a community known widely for music and dancing. It’s a special place to visit these days and think about those other visitors from so long ago. From the main parking lot, you’ll get your first view of Latourell Falls. Follow the trail downhill for a close-up view. The lower waterfall viewpoint is crowded, so I’d recommend the short 2-mile loop hike. You can either keep going on the trail after the waterfall, or double back and follow the trail the other direction back through the parking lot. We doubled back, so here we’ll show the Latourell Falls loop clockwise. The trail climbs from the parking lot to another immediate waterfall view. A highlight of the loop trail is a second fabulous waterfall, Upper Latourell Falls.