Gorge Autumn Colors Tour 2025

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.