Winter hasn't made much of an appearance so far this year. In the valley, in the mountains, and most importantly on my beloved ski slopes, the weather has been uncharacteristically sunny and dry. My local ski hill has a skimpy base, barely thicker than the 30 inches it's website is claiming. What's a snow-loving girl to do? If you're me, you roll out some photos from last November's fantastic fall jaunt in the Columbia River Gorge.
Multnomah Falls
I have a tradition of doing a "Gorge fall photography tour" every November. Although the Columbia River Gorge is stunning in any season, in my opinion this is the best time to visit. The autumn leaf colors usually peak around the first week of November and the scenery is absolutely spectacular.
Horsetail Falls
So one day last November, I packed my camera and backpack and headed east to the Gorge. My first stop was the lovely, uber-popular Multnomah Falls. This iconic waterfall, framed by golden leaves, was absolutely gorgeous. However even at the early hour of my visit, people were already congregating on the viewing platform, so I snapped a few images and left. I had lots more places to see - and they were just as beautiful, but much less crowded.
A colorful view of Horsetail Falls
My second stop was at the grand Horsetail Falls, just down the road from Multnomah Falls. This 176 foot tall cascade gushes down a mossy cliff face. The surrounding fall leaves were at peak color perfection. I even found a bit of red bushes near the highway bridge.
Lovely tree in Horsetail Falls viewing area
A large big leaf maple tree hanging over the viewing area was especially vibrant.
Ponytail Falls
From Horsetail Falls, a short trail leads hikers to more watery splendor. Climbing above Horsetail Falls and contouring along the top of it's cliff face brings one to a smaller, but equally spectacular Ponytail Falls. Nestled in a mossy grotto, this thin cascade shoots out artistically into the creek below.
Behind Ponytail Falls
As an added bonus, the trail leads hikers behind Ponytail Falls' white curtain.
Lots of leaf color on the trail
Beyond Ponytail Falls were two more waterfalls. The trail climbed to a panoramic viewpoint of the eastern Gorge, before winding downhill to cross a creek below Oneonta Falls. This waterfall is a bit difficult to photograph, so I didn't include any images in this post.
Looking down at the Columbia River Gorge
From Oneonta Falls, I again climbed uphill to a trail junction. Taking a left-hand turn I continued uphill to my final destination, Triple Falls. This entire area was burned in a 2017 wildfire that ravaged the Columbia River Gorge, and blackened tree trunks bore stark reminders of the devastation. Thankfully, many bushes had since grown back and they added a bit of much-needed color.
Trail junction
Although it was only a mile further to Triple Falls, the uphill trek seemed to take much longer. However, I enjoyed the plentiful autumn colors lining this canyon. Finally I came upon the falls and its viewing area, a narrow shelf jutting out above a steep drop off.
Triple Falls
Triple Falls is a three-legged cascade that drops 64 feet down a mossy rock face to the creek below. It's one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge and one of my personal favorites. Although the surrounding forest was badly scarred by the 2017 wildfire, I was happy to see the vegetation rebounding. There was a bit of golden color in nearby bushes and green moss had returned to much of the area.
The creek below Triple Falls
After enjoying my sandwich and having the viewing area all to myself, a group of hikers coming up the trail was my cue to pack up, bid Triple Falls farewell, and return to the trailhead.
Gorge view peek-a-boo
The return trip was just as spectacular, and the downhill trek made it much more enjoyable.
Colorful slope
Columbia River view through the burned tree trunks
For variety, I made the hike into a loop by taking the Gorge trail to the Historic Columbia River Highway.
Walking along the Historic Highway
I ended my hike with a short half mile road walk back to my car. The fog-shrouded gorge cliffs and bright yellow slopes along this stretch were quite scenic.
Historic Highway views
For my final waterfall, from Horsetail Falls I traveled further east on the highway to the Wyeth State Park trailhead. I was in search of a "new to me" cascade called Emerald Falls.
On the trail to Emerald Falls
A local photographer I follow had posted a stunning photo of this waterfall framed by autumn leaves. Thanks to Google maps, I was able to determine its approximate location. Parking in a nearby trailhead, I followed a trail paralleling Gorton Creek through a closed campground. The surrounding big-leaf maple trees were at their autumn finest, with yellow foliage that practically glowed.
Emerald Falls
From a trail junction, I followed a faint user path further up Gorton Creek. The noise of rushing water led me to a short, but beautiful cascade, white water foaming as it dropped over a rocky shelf.
Emerald Falls side view
The surrounding fall foliage made a perfect setting for this small, but mighty cascade. I spent a happy half hour capturing the waterfall from all angles before the threat of rain forced me to retreat back to my car. However, now that I know about this waterfall, I'll be sure to return again, especially next autumn.
Looking down the creek below Emerald Falls
It was a fabulous day in the Gorge, capturing a bit of peak autumn beauty in this special place. And now two months later, while I'm waiting for winter to finally get here, it's fun to go back and share photos from another memorable fall colors tour.
Eagle Creek is the premiere hiking trail in the Columbia River Gorge. Following this beautiful creek, the footpath hugs steep cliffs, passing several magnificent waterfalls. The destination for most serious hikers is Tunnel Falls, located about 6 1/2 miles from the trailhead, a tall waterfall where the trail is routed behind its churning cascade in a short tunnel.
If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know this wonderful trail was decimated in a 2017 wildfire. After a three-year closure, it was reopened, and although the many blackened tree trunks were a sobering sight, I was happy to see that the area had weathered the disaster better than expected. I'd hiked all the way to Tunnel Falls in June of 2017, mere months before the disastrous blaze. Although Eagle Creek trail has now been reopened for several years, I'd only ventured about 4 miles from the trailhead, and had yet to make it to Tunnel Falls post-fire.
Eagle Creek in early November
Eagle Creek trail is gorgeous in any season, but my personal favorite time to visit is early November, when changing leaves decorate the forest with brilliant autumn colors. Seeing a favorable weather forecast for the first Friday of November, (2025) I rallied a group of friends to tackle this trail. I had my heart set on finally checking out Tunnel Falls, and suggested we make that our goal.
Lots of running water everywhere!
Under cloudy skies, I met up with friends Young, John, and Joel at the trailhead. As we were packing up, John realized he'd forgotten his rain jacket. The forecast only called for a few "showers" throughout the day, so we all reasoned he'd be fine. Poles in hand, and packs on our backs, our merry band of hikers left the parking lot bound for Tunnel Falls.
Fabulous yellow leaf color
The fall leaf show started almost immediately. Orange and yellow leaves dotted the forest surrounding Eagle Creek. Overcast skies made the brilliant colors pop.
More stunning leaves
Although the trail started out at creek level, it didn't take long for that to change. As my friends and I traveled away from the trailhead, our path began to climb, and the canyon walls grew closer together. Soon we reached an area where our path traversed directly beneath tall rock faces. The trail here was a narrow shelf that had been blasted into the cliffs.
Tall cascade
The previous week had been quite rainy. This large amount of precip had translated into waterfalls everywhere, gushing and dripping from the steep canyon walls. Our trail led straight under several of these seasonal cascades, soaking my friends and I as we passed through. Although I carried a cover for my backpack I didn't think to put it on. After trekking underneath several of these misty curtains, my arms, shoulders, and backpack became quite wet.
Cliffside trail
Oh well, no matter - I was sure my jacket and backpack would dry out as I walked. Besides, the scenery was so spectacular, how could I not be in a great mood?
Young is in her happy place!
My friends and I continued down the trail, marveling at the beautiful golden leaves adding color to the forest's blackened tree trunks. In some places, the trail was perched high above Eagle Creek, giving us bird's eye views to the water far below. The steep, moss-covered canyon rising up from the creek was quite dramatic.
More seasonal waterfalls
About two miles down the trail my friends and I began to feel raindrops. Because the forecast didn't call for any serious rain, at first we dismissed the precip as a quick shower. But when the drops became bigger and more frequent, we all stopped to don raingear and pack covers. Since John had forgotten his rain jacket, he quickly created a makeshift body cover by cutting holes into a garbage bag.
Lots of gold color
Now protected against the rain, onward we trekked. My friends and I passed by lovely Punchbowl Falls. This short waterfall discharged into a large, round plunge pool that resembled a punch bowl (hence, it's namesake.) The cascade was absolutely roaring with a high volume of water, creating whitecaps below. The plunge pool was a lovely shade of green, which looked nice framed by nearby gold and yellow bushes.
Punchbowl Falls was absolutely roaring!
Beyond Punchbowl Falls, the rain continued to intensify and pretty soon it was pouring. After a little over three miles from the trailhead, John finally turned around to the rest of us and declared: "I'm not having fun anymore. It's time to turn around and get lunch at a brewpub."
Eagle Creek from above
It was a unanimous group consensus. Everyone was wet and miserable and a hot meal was sounding really good. So we all did an about-face and headed back to the trailhead as fast as our legs could carry us.
A soggy crew!
The rain never let up the entire return trip. Upon reaching our vehicles, I discovered my backpack and camera bag were soaked all the way through and my trusty rain jacket was beginning to wet out. My friends and I all agreed that the weatherman had really missed the mark on today's forecast. Well, either that or John was to blame because he'd forgotten his rain jacket!
Same trail, two weeks later - no more leaves
Two weeks later, the weatherman predicted a sunny day. After failing to reach Tunnel Falls with my friends I wanted a redo. So I asked my hubby to join me for another try at the Eagle Creek trail.
Sunburst on the trail
This hike was so different! For one, the sky was pure sunshine - no rain clouds to be found anywhere. And two, all the pretty golden leaves were long gone. Their dead brown husks now littered the forest floor.
Loowit Falls
The nice weather more than made up for lack of leaf color. And with the foliage now gone, it really drew my attention to the brilliant green moss lining much of the rocky cliff faces.
The trail, high above Eagle Creek
On a mission, hubby and I marched quickly through the first three miles of trail. Having captured a large amount of this area two weeks ago, I kept my photography to a minimum.
Eagle Creek gushing through a narrow chasm
But at about 4 miles, we came to another tall waterfall, called Loowit Falls, which called to my camera. Then the trail led to a high bridge spanning a deep, narrow canyon. This was one of my favorite parts of the Eagle Creek trail, so hubby and I lingered a bit, taking in all the natural beauty.
Still a few golden bushes
We then headed through an especially picturesque section of the creek, lined by a few golden bushes that hadn't yet dropped their leaves.
The colors of the creek
The farther hubby and I hiked from the trailhead, the fewer people we saw on the trail. About 5 miles in, we began to encounter a couple individuals heading back. One lady commented she came to a difficult creek crossing that intimidated her so much she turned around. Hearing this got me worried I'd again come up short of my goal. But when we reached the "scary" crossing it turned out to be just a bit of rock-hopping - no problem whatsoever for hubby and I. (Obviously everyone has a different perception of what they consider scary.)
A bit of whitewater
The final mile to Tunnel Falls seemed to take forever. My memory was a bit fuzzy as to exactly which bend it was around. I kept scouting the trail ahead for it, but my search always seemed to come up empty. You can imagine my happiness and relief when its long, white cascade finally came into view.
Hubby walking through Tunnel Falls
Tunnel falls drops an impressive 170 feet from atop a tall, basalt cliff to the creek below. It wins my award for coolest waterfall because the trail builders carved a short tunnel behind its watery cascade. It's not everyday you get the chance to walk behind a waterfall!
The other side of the tunnel
Of course it was an exciting moment to walk through the passage behind Tunnel Falls once again. I'd waited eight long years to do this!
I took a video of my short trip through the tunnel, but unfortunately it didn't turn out. So instead, enjoy the above video recorded from one side of Tunnel Falls.
The trail on the opposite side of the tunnel
The trail on the tunnel's opposite side was a narrow shelf perched high above the creek. You had to watch your step, as the downhill side dropped off nearly vertical and it was a long way down.
Eagle Creek trail placed precariously above the creek
My target waterfall now reached, there was but one more goal to make this hike complete. A mere quarter mile past Tunnel Falls was another equally impressive waterfall - Twister Falls.
The "vertigo mile" en route to Twister Falls
But hiking to Twister Falls was not for the faint of heart. The trail to reach this cascade was a narrow bench carved into a nearly vertical rock face. Anyone traversing this path needed to watch their footing carefully. There was a steep, exposed 200 foot vertical drop below. Nicknamed by hikers the "Vertigo Mile" it was definitely a no-fall zone!
Twister Falls
But despite the harrowing trek, I found this portion of the trail to be the most beautiful of all. The rocky cliff faces were lined with bright green moss and the columnar basalt rock formations were quite stunning. After gingerly inching across this dizzying footpath, our reward was reaching the impressive Twister Falls. Two water streams gushed down a cliff, crossing together at mid-point and continuing their drop into the creek below. At 148 feet in height, I thought this cascade was just as spectacular as Tunnel Falls.
Hubby and I lingered atop Twister Falls for several minutes, taking in the beautiful scenery. We'd worked so hard to get here I didn't want to leave. But it was early afternoon and we had a lot of miles to cover to get back to the trailhead. Not wanting to walk out in the dark, we reluctantly decided it was time to turn around and begin our return trip.
Another heart-pounding portion of the trail
The hike out was long, but uneventful. Since I'd taken so many photos hiking in, my camera stayed in its bag and I put my nose the grindstone, concentrating on covering miles. Hubby and I did so well on our return trek, we actually reached the parking lot well before sundown, with over an hour to spare! Total distance traveled came to 13.9 miles and 1500 feet of elevation gain. We certainly earned our post-hike beers!
A grand day!
I'm so glad I made the effort to return to Eagle Creek and make the hike to Tunnel Falls. It was wonderful to see this unique waterfall once again after so many years. Sadly not long after these two trips, the Eagle Creek trail became a casualty of a series of mid-December atmospheric river storms. Torrents of water caused massive landslides and high winds toppled dozens of trees. The damage was so severe, the Forest Service said it may take months before this trail is reopened. So until I have the chance to hike here again, I'll just have to content myself with photographs from two memorable November visits.
And so 2025 bites the dust. Another trip around the sun completed. Twelve months of trips, hikes, and skiing days captured on my camera's memory cards. That can only mean one thing - it's time again for the Linda's Lens photographic year-end recap.
As my regular readers know, in December I pick twelve photos, one from each month, that I feel best captures the important life events from said past year. They aren't always my best or favorite photos, but often ones that that trigger fond or bittersweet memories. Over time I've done several different formats of these "best photo" posts, with varying criteria about what type of image qualifies for the yearly summary. But for the past several years I've stuck to presenting the images taken from the month they were captured, not the month they appeared in my blog. And since my postings always lag real life events, some of these photos haven't yet made it into the blog. That is, until now.
So pull up a chair, grab a beverage of choice, and enjoy the 2025 edition of Linda's Lens year in photos!
January
One of many ski days
2024-25 was a stellar ski season. It started with abundant snowfall in November, and I logged my first ski day on the unbelievably early date of the Monday before Thanksgiving. The fun continued throughout December, January, February, March and into April with several trips to the local ski areas - both on Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor. I'm lucky to have a bunch of good friends to ski with, and last year I added another to my list- a recently retired co-worker named Deneen. Being a much better skier than I, she pushed me to try more difficult runs and ski longer into the afternoon. I ended the season with 42 days on the slopes - a new personal record.
February
Frozen waterfalls in the Gorge
My February photo log is full of either skiing or bird photos and not much else. But there was one memorable day mid-month where temperatures dropped low enough to cause all the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge to freeze. Being a waterfall lover, I bundled up and headed to the Gorge to capture this rare event. I spent a frigid morning clicking the shutter and then wiping the icy water droplets from my camera lens. In such a cold, wet environment, it didn't take long for my hands and feet to freeze, and this limited the number of cascades visited. Despite the cold I witnessed some beautiful ice sculptures, all courtesy of Mother Nature.
March
Purple spring wildflowers
By March, early spring wildflowers begin to appear in the eastern reaches of the Columbia River Gorge. Although winter, and skiing, were still going strong on Mt. Hood, I did manage to carve out a couple of days for hikes to check out the blooms. One of my favorite early spring trails is the Labyrinth, on the Washington side of the Gorge. Vibrant purple flowers called grass widows were prolific along this trail (you can see a few in the foreground of the above image) as well as stellar views of the Columbia River and surrounding landscape. This image is bittersweet because in July a huge wildfire ripped through this area, blackening everything in its path. However, despite the damage, I'm hopeful that the ash-enriched soil will produce an extraordinary wildflower bloom next spring.
April
A trip to Maui
In mid-April, with ski season winding down, and my hubby's retirement nearing (not to mention our 40th wedding anniversary in August) I booked a trip to Maui to celebrate. Hubby and I enjoyed the beautiful weather, stunning scenery, and friendly locals that the Hawaiian islands are known for. The highlight for me was driving a winding road up to the 10,023 foot summit of Haleakalā Crater in HaleakalāNational Park (my 23rd NP visited so far that year.)
May
Pygmy owl in the forest
May was a bad month for me. A hike near Mt. St. Helens resulted in my backpack tumbling down an extremely steep slope into an inaccessible ravine. I lost my wallet, cell phone, prescription sunglasses, and gps unit, plus many other treasured outdoor items. A week later after hastily replacing the most important things lost in the accident, I traveled to see my parents and spent a week with my mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's. As many of you know, it's difficult to see a parent's health decline and it was a tough visit. Also during this time, my hubby had to travel internationally for work and experienced a couple of issues I had to help resolve. Back home in late May and feeling down, I forced myself to go for a hike at a local state park. Walking through the forest, I began to hear hooting. It took a few minutes, but I was able to locate the source of the noise - an adorable pygmy owl in a nearby tree. This rare wildlife sighting really uplifted my mood and gave me hope that my luck had finally turned around.
June
Copenhagen, Denmark
Happily, my worst month was followed by my best month. The most favorite and memorable event of the year occurred in June when I traveled to Scandinavia with my good friend Kim. Our third Rick Steves tour, this one was Kim and I's favorite. We explored the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway and loved each one. Kim and I were joined by two ladies - Debbie and Alicia - who we'd met on our 2023 Ireland tour. The dynamics of this group of four women made the trip even more fun.
My friends and I on the ferry toÆrø island
After taking thousands of photos, both by phone and camera, from this 2-plus week tour, you can imagine it was a difficult task to pick just one image to represent this fabulous vacation. So I didn't! Instead you get two - a photograph of the brightly colored buildings of Copenhagen's Nyhavn District and a fun selfie of my friends and I riding the ferry to Denmark's Ærø island.
Recapping this trip took up a good chunk of my 2025 blog posts, but now that it's finally finished I'm glad I put in the effort. I really enjoy returning to my previous travel recaps and will treasure this latest rendition. Even though most of these posts were super-long, they act as an electronic scrapbook created just for me. (Maybe someday I'll turn them all into real books.)
July
Beargrass superbloom on Mt. Hood
Back home from my travels, in July it was time to hike! This summer the Mt. Hood area had a superbloom of beargrass, the poofy white plant that grows in alpine environments. These beargrass superblooms don't occur regularly, only every 3 to 10 years, so when it happens, I get out to photograph it! Surprisingly the best display of beargrass was on the slopes of my local ski area, resulting in several fabulous wildflower hikes.
August
Maple Pass, North Cascades NP
August was a month of exploring new trails. I finally made it to SW Washington's Goat Rocks Wilderness, a place I'd long wanted to see. And later that month I made the long drive to visit my 24th National Park - North Cascades NP in north-central Washington. I hiked the spectacular Heather - Maple Pass loop and it was simply breathtaking! There were so many beautiful mountain trails, I'm definitely heading back up here in 2026.
September
Peter Iredale shipwreck at sunset
My hubby is an avid fisherman. However I don't share his enthusiasm, so he usually goes by himself. But one week in mid-September, wanting to hit the fall salmon run on the Oregon coast, he booked accommodations and invited me to join him. While hubby was fishing, I toured around the northern Oregon coast with my camera. Staying so close to the beaches, it was easy to capture sunsets and sunrises without a lot of driving time. I especially liked the colorful sunset I captured near the Peter Iredale shipwreck at Fort Stevens State Park.
October
Spectacular fall colors in Leavenworth, WA
My buddy Kim and I had long talked about visiting the charming, Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth, located in the Central Washington Cascades. Passing through on my way to North Cascades NP gave us both the motivation we needed to finally plan a trip. Luck was with us - not only did our late October arrival coincide with a lull between busy seasons, we also hit peak fall color. I took some of the best autumn leaf photos of the entire season. I think visiting Leavenworth will likely become a yearly tradition.
November
Twister Falls, Eagle Creek trail
The Columbia River Gorge's Eagle Creek trail is my favorite Gorge hike. The ultimate destination is breathtaking Tunnel and Twister Falls, reached by a 6 1/2 mile one-way trek. I hadn't visited these waterfalls since 2017, a few months before a devastating wildfire decimated this area. Although I'd hiked the Eagle Creek trail many times after it was reopened, I'd yet to make it all the way to Tunnel and Twister Falls. After an unexpected rainy day foiled my friends and I from reaching this destination, two weeks later, my hubby and I tried again. And this time we succeeded! Finally seeing these two spectacular cascades was so worth the long, round-trip hike.
December
The Ornament trail
I wrapped up my 2025 hiking season with a trek to special place - the Christmas Ornament trail. Hidden deep in the Columbia River Gorge, this short path is where colorful decorations dangle from mossy tree branches. I recruited two friends to accompany me and we had a fantastic time, even adding a few baubles of our own.
This year brought a lot of joy - plenty of ski days, memorable hikes, another amazing international trip, my hubby's retirement (hooray!) and a vacation to Maui. And as of the end of this month, I'll have been retired for five years. When people say time goes faster once you've retired, they're not kidding!
However, there's also been a bit of sadness for me in 2025. My mom, who has suffered from Alzheimer's for the past several years, seems to be deteriorating more rapidly. A sweet, kind sister-in-law was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. These incidents reminded me that life and good health are precious commodities, and you never really know how many days you have.
So in 2026 I resolve to "do it now" and not put off activities because of chores, less-than-perfect weather, traffic, or plain old laziness. The clock is ticking and I'm not getting any younger! Time to start checking things off the ol' bucket list.
As always, thanks to my readers for continuing to follow and comment on my little blog. I maintain this page for my own pleasure as a sort of online scrapbook. I'm always surprised and pleased that there are others who enjoy my photos and musings. I hope you'll all stick around to see what 2026 has in store for me.
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