The Ornament Trail 2025

I love annual traditions.  When the holiday season rolls around, I start looking for a break in the weather so I can plan a trip to the Christmas Ornament trail.

A magical place deep in the forest....

Back in 2014 my friends and I discovered a magical path deep in the woods of the Columbia River Gorge - an enchanting place where colorful Christmas ornaments dangled from tree branches.  It was so much fun to discover this bit of holiday cheer that I decided to make hiking to the Ornament trail a yearly tradition.  However in the fall of 2017 a wildfire swept through the Columbia River Gorge, and this trail was smack dab in the middle of it's path.  This fire area, and the Ornament trail, was closed to hikers for many years, before finally reopening in 2023.  Last December I finally got the chance to return (see post here) and was happy to see that the trail had been restored to its original colorful glory.

Young and Kelly at Multnomah Falls

December 2025 rolled around and it was time for a revisit.  Eyeing the weather forecast, I spied a dry day in the first week of the month.  My hiking friends Young and Kelly were up for a trek and I suggested we check out the Ornament trail.  Young was with me when I'd first discovered the trail, so she knew all about it.  But Kelly had never been there.  As a matter of fact, Kelly didn't know a thing about this magical place.  Well, she was about to find out!

Posing on the Benson Bridge

Early one dry but chilly morning my friends and I gathered at the base of Multnomah Falls, an iconic 620 feet (189 meters) waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge.  After a few photos from the lower viewing platform, we trudged up the steep, paved path that took visitors to the cascade's very top.  

Hiking up the Larch Mtn trail

After a mile of climbing the paved path transitioned into dirt trail.  My friends and I passed the top of Multnomah Falls and continued up the Larch Mountain trail.  This spectacular footpath followed Multnomah Creek as it flowed downhill through the 2017 wildfire area.

Hiking past Wiesendanger Falls

Having hiked this portion of the trail many times before I knew it passed by three more lovely waterfalls.  The first, Dutchman Falls, didn't have much of a drop.  But the second, Wisendanger Falls, was an impressive 50-foot cascade that splashed over a basalt cliff.  The third, Ecola Falls, was also quite tall, but difficult to see from the trail.

Photo op!

Despite being dominated by bare, blackened tree trunks, the trail was surprisingly beautiful.  Bright green moss lined the creekbed and adjacent rocks, and ferns covered the hillsides.  Charming Multnomah Creek wound through the greenery.

Hiking through the burn area

Crossing over the creek on a footbridge, our trail began to rise higher above Multnomah Creek.  Soon my friends and I were walking on a tall shelf suspended above the waterway's canyon.

Crossing Winter Creek

The trail had one crossing of a tributary named Winter Creek.  The previous year, it had been running so full that everyone in my hiking party got wet feet trying to make it across.  Thanks to lower water levels, we found today's crossing to be much easier.

Through the narrow canyon area

Past Winter Creek, the trail dived back downhill until it was again at creek level.  My friends and I came to a junction where our trail split into two paths.  The normal trail continued, following Multnomah Creek through a narrow gorge, while a high water route led hikers uphill around the water.  During times of heavy rainfall, it wasn't recommended (or safe) to hike the lower route.  (After foolishly following this trail and falling into the water during last year's hike, I wholeheartedly recommend using the high water trail when the creek is overflowing!)

So much green!

Thankfully, today the creek was behaving itself, so Young, Kelly, and I opted to follow the low route.  We hiked past a tall, rocky cliff, our trail a narrow path next to the water.  Past the canyon, the surrounding terrain opened up into a lovely, green forest.  After passing by so many blackened trees, it was especially nice to see untouched woods again.

We found the Ornament trail again!

Our trail then emerged onto a dirt road.  From past trips to the Ornament trail, I knew we now needed to follow this road.  So uphill my friends and I trekked.  

Kelly admires an ornament

I remembered that this last leg always took longer than expected.  Even with this knowledge, as my friends and I hiked onward, I began to question my memory.  Had we gone too far?  Surely we should've passed the trail by now?  

These two were pretty!

I'm happy to say my friends and I didn't miss the trail.  After a bit more hiking, I finally spotted a small side path through some tall bushes.  A tiny ornament dangled near it's intersection with the road.  We had arrived!

A thin Santa

The Ornament trail was as wonderful as I'd remembered from last year.  Young, Kelly, and I wandered down the faint track through the woods, marveling at all the pretty decorations we found.

So many hanging from this branch!

I noticed there seemed to be quite a bit more baubles than I'd remembered from last year.  Some ornaments looked shiny new, like they'd recently been placed in the woods.  Others, more weather-worn, appeared that they'd been hanging here for many years.  Although most ornaments dangled from trees and bushes, there were quite a few that had been placed in nooks of nearby tree stumps or recessed areas of fallen logs.  There were all kinds of themes - from angels, Santas, glass balls, bells, nutcrackers, even an Elmo!

A gingerbread ornament

Kelly was absolutely thrilled by the ornament trail.  It's always fun to take people here for their very first visit.  Everyone loves the idea of discovering a little bit of Christmas deep in the mossy woods of the Gorge.

Some without strings were set on a mossy stump

After wandering the Ornament trail for it's full length, oohing and aahing (and sometimes laughing) at the assortment of decorations, my friends and I found seats on a nearby log and enjoyed our lunches.

Lunch time!

Then with our tummies now satisfied, it was time for the final task.  My friends and I needed to hang a few baubles of our own.  I'd stashed some ornaments in my backpack for just this purpose.

After lunch, we hung a few ornaments

This was the best part of all!  Young, Kelly, and I smiled and laughed as we searched for just the right spot to hang our holiday trinkets.

 

Kelly reaching a high branch

"Let's put some here"

After all our ornaments were securely fastened to tree branches, Young, Kelly, and I stepped back and admired our work.

The girls admiring their work

Goal accomplished, it was time to head back to the trailhead.  But we did one final slow walk along the length of the Ornament trail, taking in all the holiday glitter, and spotting our favorite decorations.

A trove of ornaments in a tree trunk

Here's some of our top picks:

Elmo says hi!

Who doesn't love Elmo?

A nutcracker collection

There were a group of nutcrackers nestled in a rotting tree stump.

Admiring our work

One arched, mossy branch had a large number of dangling baubles attached.

One last look at the baubles

Here's a close-up.

Heading back through the ornaments

Mooning Santa is still there!

I was happy to see the mooning Santa from last year was still hanging from it's perch.

More of the trail

So many shiny decorations!  Just walking through the trail was enough to put me in a cheerful, holiday spirit.

A few more shiny things

I try to keep my blog family-friendly.  But the little elf below made us laugh so hard, I just had to share.  Where in the world do people get ornaments like that?

This little elf was our favorite!

All good things must come to an end, and so did our visit to the Ornament trail.  My friends and I retraced our steps back down the old road, and then followed the Larch Mountain trail back along Multnomah Creek.  A bit of fog crept into the forest, and I really liked the atmosphere it created, especially for photographs.

Our return trip along Multnomah Creek

My friends and I agreed it had been a fun hike to a unique place high in the forests of the Columbia River Gorge.  A perfect way to begin the holiday season!

Smile, ladies!

I'd heard that the Ornament trail was created by the local Trails Club who maintain a lodge nearby.  It used to be that the trail's location was kept a secret, and the only way one learned of it's location was to be taken there by someone in the know.  The first time I found this trail, I gleaned clues from other people's online hiking reports.  My research gave me a general idea of where to go, and then I did the legwork, wandering around the trails until stumbling upon it.  Discovery was part of the fun of visiting this place.  That's why I'm not giving away the exact location here in my blog.  

Group selfie

I'd hoped to make a return trip sometime before Christmas, but the weather in mid-December was nothing but rain, and lots of it.  As a matter of fact, the Gorge was so inundated with precipitation, it created scores of landslides.  Sadly, the Larch Mountain trail was one of the casualties.  Access to the Ornament trail is currently blocked by a large slide.  So until the trail gets fixed I'll have to put my plans on hold.  Good thing my friends and I got up there when we did!

I hope this holiday-themed hike recap has put everyone in a Christmas spirit.  Merry Christmas to all of my readers!!

More Fall Finery From Leavenworth

I took so many great fall photos from my October visit to Leavenworth, I decided to create one more post to showcase scenes from the following day.  (One can never have enough autumn leaf photos!)

The Wenatchee River

My friend Kim and I decided to head back to the banks of the Wenatchee River and travel in the opposite direction from our previous morning's walk. 

Lovely nearby ponderosa pines

The fall colors were just as amazing.  Golden trees lined the riverbank with a few pops of red thrown in for contrast.

Kim enjoying the view

Can you see the house in there?

We discovered a small pond lined with some vibrant red bushes.  As you can imagine, many photos were taken here!

The most spectacular display of red foliage

This pond was surrounded by fall color

Autumn leaves close-up

The distant snow-dusted mountains were nice bookends to the fall color festival along the river.

One more of the mountains

After checking out of our motel, Kim and I took a drive west of town, up the Tumwater Canyon.  The Wenatchee River meandered through this narrow canyon.

Old bridge in Tumwater Canyon

About 5 miles down Tumwater Canyon, we stopped at a trailhead and walked a half mile to an impressive steel truss bridge spanning the river.  Now used for pedestrians only, the bridge took hikers to a continuation of the trail on the opposite side.

Wenatchee River in Tumwater Canyon

The fall leaf colors were absolutely gorgeous here.  

Checking out the shoreline

Kim and I followed this trail about a mile along the river's shoreline before coming to a dead end.  So we turned around and headed back to the bridge.  The best scenery was right there anyway.

Underneath the bridge

More fall beauty

Before heading for home, I wanted to explore the area along nearby Icicle Creek.  I'd been told there were lots of trailheads along this creek, leading deep into the wilderness.  We didn't plan to hike any of those trails today.  I found enough fantastic scenery just driving along the road.  I bookmarked the area for a future hiking trip, though.

Icicle Creek

As I mentioned in my last post, since our late October visit, the town of Leavenworth and surrounding areas have recently been deluged with heavy rainfall, flooding, and mudslides.  The wonderful city park where Kim and I walked along the Wenatchee River is now under water.  The highway west of town through Tumwater Canyon has experienced massive washouts of the road, effectively closing all travel.  So today I'm looking at the images I took with a bit of sadness, knowing many of the places I just visited have sustained heavy damage.

Lotti Does Leavenworth

My little stuffed cow Lotti, who I adopted in Switzerland last year, was missing her homeland.  Since I wasn't able to jump on a plane to Europe and fly for 11 hours, I did the next best thing.  I took her to Leavenworth.

We made it!

Leavenworth is a charming, German-themed village in Washington.  Located directly east of the Cascade Mountains, the stunning tall peaks framing this town give it an alpine character.  My buddy Kim and I had wanted to visit for many years, but somehow never got around to planning a trip.  Then last August I stopped for lunch in Leavenworth on my way to Winthrop and North Cascades National Park.  Grabbing a bratwurst from a nearby outdoor restaurant, I sent Kim a selfie.  My photograph set things into motion - not long after Kim made motel reservations for late October.  

 

Street scenes

All that Bavarian cuteness makes Leavenworth a wildly popular tourist destination, especially during the summer months.  But its busiest times are in December for Christmas, and of course early October for Oktoberfest!  We didn't know it when Kim made the reservation, but she happened to time our visit in between Oktoberfest and the Christmas season.  This happy accident meant we caught the lull between busy times, scoring cheaper accommodations and way less people.

The mountains rise up nearly vertically

When packing for Leavenworth I spotted Lotti sitting on a nearby shelf in my bedroom.  Her tiny bovine eyes pleaded with me to take her along.  Knowing Lotti was missing her home country, I placed her in my backpack.  This German-themed town wasn't quite Switzerland, but it was close enough!

Time to sample the local brew

It's a 5-hour drive from where I live to Leavenworth.  Much of the drive is through a very barren part of south central Washington.  However I was pleasantly surprised to see the surrounding vegetation in this area decked out in brilliant autumn hues, which made the drive so much better.  We summitted Blewett Pass oohing and aahing over the lovely golden larch trees scattered about the forest.  And arriving to our destination, I was surprised to see so much of the trees in town still displaying fall finery.  

And of course a pretzel to go with it!

After checking into our motel, which was conveniently located right across the street from the main dining and shopping area, Kim and I went in search of some genuine German beer and pretzels.  We found both at a local brewery.  Lotti approved!

Lotti finds the perfect hat

Hunger abated for the time being, Kim and I then decided to check out some of the souvenir shops.  Although chock full of the usual tacky t-shirts and refrigerator magnets, we did discover some tiny Bavarian-themed hats.  Just the perfect size for my little cow!

And so did I

I also found an alpine hat that called my name.  (But I didn't buy it.  I already own way too many hats!)

Beautiful morning walk along the Wenatchee River

After a restful first night in our motel, Kim and I awoke the following morning to lovely, but chilly blue skies.  Perusing a map of the town the previous evening, I discovered the Wenatchee River winds its way through the middle of Leavenworth.  And better  yet, the town had built a trail that followed the river's north shore.  After a quick breakfast, Kim and I decided to go check it out.

Fog and fall colors

The river was a mere half mile walk from our accommodations.  The trail began at a small parking lot.  Kim and I followed a dirt path that look us into a thickly forested area.  Tiny glimpses of the Wenatchee River could be spotted through gaps in the trees.

Lots of mountain views

Our timing for fall colors couldn't have been better!  Spotting a side trail that took me directly to the river's edge, I came out to a stunning scene.  The Wenatchee River was lined with colorful trees, their leaves various shades of yellow, orange, and red.  Tall, snow-dusted peaks anchored the skyline.

Perfect selfie opportunity

The scenery was absolutely spectacular!  We happened to time our arrival in Leavenworth to coincide with peak fall colors.  I couldn't believe our luck.

Lotti playing in the leaves

Lotti was enjoying the fall leaves too.

Stunning fall colors

Kim and I followed the riverside path over a bridge and onto an island.  The leaf color show continued and it took me quite awhile to cover any ground, as I was stopping every few steps to take pictures.

Reflections in a puddle

Our glorious path

More riverside color

I loved how some of the foliage colors were reflecting into the river's waters.

Fall colors seemed to be at peak

Kim and I walked by a tiny pond hidden back in the trees.  The yellow and red leaf color reflections in its waters were absolutely magical.

This small pond was absolutely stunning

I spotted a little dipper bird on one of the rocks, diving in the water looking for breakfast.  In the image below the bird looks like he's standing over a pool of gold.

Golden waters and a dipper bird

Another pond gave me perfect reflections of the nearby trees.

Perfect pond reflections

After spending a good three hours traipsing around the river, our tummies were beginning to grumble.  Time to head back into town and find something to eat!

Golden leaves

One can't visit a German-themed town without trying the local bratwurst.  Thanks to Google, Kim and I hunted down the highest rated place in town.  And if you're eating bratwurst, you have a a beer - it's practically required!

All that walking made us thirsty!

Our beer came in enormous mugs.  And believe it or not, this wasn't the largest size they had!

Time for a brew

However, the beer was quite tasty, as was the bratwurst.  A great find!

And a bratwurst

Kim and I spent our afternoon roaming around town, checking out all the cute shops.  Many of them had beautiful murals painted on the outside of their buildings.

Loved the murals painted on many of the buildings

Many of the shops were quite fun.  One bakery specialized in gingerbread.  (Of course, I had to buy some!)  There were other unique boutiques, many offering clothing, a couple specializing in outdoor sports, one Christmas decorations, another kitchenware, and a pet store with everything you could want for your dog or cat.  There was even a local landscape photographer who had set up his own gallery.  And his photographs were amazing!

Another view of this charming town

One building had a glockenspiel that put on a show every hour.  We finally happened upon it and got to watch the figures twirl around and hear the music play.  Kim got a video but I only took photos - and none of them turned out very good.  But check out the image below for a photo of the building.

Loved this bright orange tree

There was a huge tree across the street that was a stunning color of orange.  I also loved how the mountains rose up behind the downtown area.  Such a beautiful setting for a town!

A lady was giving horse drawn carriage rides

During the winter months, I'd heard Leavenworth offered horse-drawn sleigh tours.  But in the off-season we discovered they swap the sleigh for a carriage.  The lady running the business had her carriage and horse decorated in appropriate fall colors.

There goes the carriage!

Leavenworth also had a nutcracker museum.  Not into nutcrackers, Kim and I just window-shopped and moved on.

They had a nutcracker museum (we didn't go inside)

Gotta have a pretzel shop!

However, we did make it a point to stop at all the bakeries!  Especially any that sold pretzels.

Another view of my favorite tree

Lotti and I hangin' out with a giant nutcracker

Liked the skiing themed mural on this storefront

One of our favorite shops was a store that sold German-themed festival clothing.  They had an entire wall of lederhosen and dirndls, of every color and style.  

 

One shop sold nothing but traditional German clothing

Kim's favorite lederhosen

Lotti found a dirndl that she liked.  Unfortunately it was way too big for her little body.

 

Lotti liked this dirndl

For dinner, Kim and I chose an authentic German restaurant.  I wanted to try their beef goulash, so Kim and I split an order.  While waiting for our meal, we were entertained by a man playing the accordion not far from our table.  The guy was really good, and after he finished each song, we clapped loudly.  

It appeared Kim and I were the only ones in the restaurant applauding and watching the accordion player.  He seemed to appreciate our attention.  There was a large stein of beer on a table next to him, and I was amused when he grabbed the stein with one hand and took a big gulp, while continuing to play his instrument with the other.  That man was talented!

The accordion player in a nearby restaurant was fantastic

After fangirling the accordion player for a few songs, Kim and I asked him if we could get a photo.  Our waitress was happy to help out.  Kim also gave the guy a nice tip.

We split an order of beef goulash

Another advantage to visiting Leavenworth in late October was that the town had begun to hang up their Christmas lights in preparation for the holiday season.  Quite a few lights had already been strung into the trees and Kim and I were the happy benefactors.  After dark, we took a stroll around the local park and admired all the the pretty decorations.  

Christmas lights were being installed

It had been a fun day exploring this charming Bavarian town.  Lotti seemed to enjoy herself and appeared to be much happier now.  I have a feeling an autumn visit to Leavenworth might become an annual trip for Kim, myself and my little Swiss cow!

(Just a side note:  I was sad to hear that Leavenworth and the surrounding areas in Northern Washington were recently affected by last week's torrential atmospheric river.  I've heard reports of power outages, flooding, and highway washouts.  My heart goes out to everyone in the area that's been affected by this severe weather.)