Elowah Falls | |
---|---|
Location | Columbia River Gorge |
Coordinates | 45°37′06″N121°58′01″W / 45.61829°N 121.96701°W |
Type | Plunge |
Elevation | 384 ft (117 m) |
Total height | 213 ft (65 m) |
Average flow rate | 75 cu ft/s (2.1 m3/s) |
Elowah Falls, also called McCord Creek Falls, is a 213-foot waterfall on the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. [1] Elowah Falls is one of several waterfalls along McCord Creek. The Creek and the waterfall are within the limits of the John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor.
The name of the waterfall carried the name of the creek that forms it: McCord Falls. In 1915 the Mazamas successfully had the falls renamed to Elowah. The meaning of the term is unknown.
The waterfall is formed as McCord Creek is forced into a narrow channel by sheer cliffs and shoots at high velocity into a natural amphitheater of layered basalt. [2] Lichens and mosses are very common, covering about 80 percent of the ground surface under and around the vascular plants. [1]
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over eighty miles (130 km) as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River in the east down to the eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the water gap furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia Plateau and the Pacific Ocean. It is thus that the routes of Interstate 84, U.S. Route 30, Washington State Route 14, and railroad tracks on both sides run through the gorge.
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height. The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wahkeena Falls is a 242-foot (74 m) waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge in the state of Oregon.
Oneonta Gorge is a scenic gorge located in the Columbia River Gorge area of the American state of Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service has designated it as a botanical area because of the unique aquatic and woodland plants that grow there. Exposed walls of 25-million-year-old basalt are home to a wide variety of ferns, mosses, hepatics, and lichens, many of which grow only in the Columbia River Gorge. Oneonta Gorge with its 50 species of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and trees has been described as "one of the true dramatic chasms in the state." The Oneonta Gorge Creek Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Punch Bowl Falls is a waterfall on Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon, United States. Eagle Creek drains into the Columbia River, with its outlet on the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County.
The Bridal Veil Falls is a waterfall located on Bridal Veil Creek along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the only waterfall which occurs below the historic Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. The Bridal Veil Falls Bridge, built in 1914, crosses over the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Horsetail Falls is a waterfall located on Horsetail Creek along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The falls drop over a cut over the columnar basalt cliff within the Oneonta Gorge. It is one of the waterfalls along the Columbia River Highway's waterfall corridor.
Latourell Falls is a waterfall along the Columbia River Gorge in the U.S. state of Oregon, within Guy W. Talbot State Park.
Eagle Creek is a creek located mainly in Hood River County, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge, with its last roughly 0.5 miles (0.80 km) and mouth in Multnomah County. A tributary of the Columbia River, the creek flows for approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the Thrush Pond between Eagle Butte and Tanner Butte to its mouth near Bonneville Dam. The East Fork Eagle Creek is a major tributary that begins at Wahtum Lake and joins the main stem approximately 2/3 the way between the Thrush Pond and the Columbia River, separated by Indian Mountain.
Larch Mountain is an extinct volcano near Portland, Oregon. The name is misleading, as no western larch can be found there. It received that name when early lumbermen sold the noble fir wood as larch. The peak can be reached between May and November on paved Larch Mountain Road, 16 mi (26 km) east of Corbett, Oregon, although the road is closed during the winter and spring months. The road leading to Larch Mountain from the Historic Columbia River Highway is 14 miles long, which closed at milepost 10 from Nov. through late May or early June due to snow.
Wahclella Falls is a waterfall along Tanner Creek, a tributary of the Columbia River, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. It enters the river within the Columbia River Gorge.
Ainsworth State Park is a state park in eastern Multnomah County, Oregon, near Cascade Locks. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge, adjacent to the Historic Columbia River Highway. The park administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, offers a seasonal, full-service campground, access to Gorge hiking trails beyond park boundaries, and a day-use area.
Metlako Falls is a waterfall on Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is the furthest downstream of the major waterfalls on Eagle Creek. Like upstream Punch Bowl Falls, Metlako is also in the form of a punchbowl. The falls is 31 meters (101 ft) tall, though people have measured it anywhere from 30 to 46 m tall. It is the upstream limit for salmon spawning in Eagle Creek.
Multnomah Creek is a 5-mile-long (8.0 km) stream in northern Oregon. Multnomah Creek's source is on Larch Mountain in the Mount Hood National Forest and its waters flow north to the Columbia River Gorge, over Multnomah Falls into Benson Lake and then the Columbia River. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. The two drop waterfall is the tallest in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height.
Coopey Falls is a waterfall on Coopey Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, on the Historic Columbia River Highway in Multnomah County, Oregon. The falls is a horsetail waterfall with a drop of 150 feet (46 m).
Eagle Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River in Multnomah and Hood River counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It cuts through a narrow canyon in its 3,200 feet (980 m) descent to the Columbia River Gorge and is known for its concentration of 13 waterfalls in about 5 miles (8.0 km) distance. Eight major falls are on Eagle Creek and the East Fork Eagle Creek itself, while five are on its tributaries.
Wiesendanger Falls, also known as Double Falls and Twanklaskie Falls, is a 50-foot waterfall on the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Its main drop is 50 feet and is located upstream of Multnomah Falls and accessed through the Multnomah-Wahkeena Loop Hike.
Wahe Falls, also called Moffett Creek Falls, is an 80-foot waterfall on the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Wahe Falls is the last of several waterfalls along Moffett Creek. The mouth of the Creek is within the limits of the John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor.
The Eagle Creek Fire was a destructive wildfire in the Columbia River Gorge, largely in the U.S. state of Oregon, with smaller spot-fires in Washington. The fire was started on September 2, 2017, by a 15-year-old boy igniting fireworks during a burn ban. The fire burned 50,000 acres, and burned for three months, before being declared completely contained. As late as May 29, 2018, it was still found smoldering in some areas.
Tanner Creek is a creek located in the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, that is a tributary of the Columbia River.