Cannon Beach and Columbia Gorge

I wish I found a better written guide on what parts of the coast to hit on the drive down 101 and on the Gorge,

so hopefully this will help:

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On the Washington/Oregon border, there are a few scenic stops where you can take photos of this huge bridge:

<img src="http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/36797/2172451020030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

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The main view of Cannon Beach is at Ecola Park ($4 for the day IIRC). It's a fairly long drive under big

evergreen trees to get to the park, but you'll know when you get to it. You can hike down to the beach on the

left hand side (wish we had stayed a day or two there to catch at least a sunset/sunrise but we had to hit

Portland for our hotel).

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Here's the view from Ecola Park:<br>

<img src="http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/43093/2415943830030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

<img src="http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/8597/2115705040030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

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You can actually drive down to the other side of Haystack Rock. If you hug the coastline on the roads, you'll

eventually hit Tolovana park (no fee). You can get cool pics like this on that side:<br>

<img src="http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/43005/2266413040030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

<img src="http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/42268/2212131360030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

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For the waterfalls and views at Columbia Gorge, they're laid out in sequence like this:<br>

East -> Horsetail Falls -> Oneonta Gorge -> Multomah -> Wahkeen Falls -> Vista House -> Women's Forum -> West

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So you want to overshoot the "Vista House" exist, then overshoot the "Old Scenic Highway" exit, then overshoot

the Multomah falls exit, then catch the Old Scenic Highway exit after that. Also, after Vista House and Women

Forum, just take the signs back to the highway instead of going through narrow curvy roads all the way back to

Wahkeen Falls. We made the mistake of taking the first Old Scenic Highway exit which brought us to Wahkeen Falls

so we had to backtrack. On the drive back down at the highway, there's also a scenic point you can look down the

Gorge and see the Vista house sitting up on the cliff.

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Oneonta Gorge doesn't really have a hiking trail, so you have to hike up a rocky stream and there are lots of

mosquitos in the area. The day we went, the stream was also blocked by fallen trees you had to hike over.

Wahkeen also has a hiking trail that goes up and catches another falls but we didn't have time to do it that day.

Horsetail Falls is more impressive than Wahkeen. Multomah is the biggest (the only one w/ a viewing bridge):<br>

http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/40853/2171494330030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

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Here's a view from the Women's Forum viewpoint to the Vista House and down the Gorge:<br>

<img src="http://inlinethumb61.webshots.com/28732/2075072030030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

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View from highway towards Vista House:<br>

<img src="http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/40426/2841617680030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

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Be sure to clean dust off your sensor's camera before you do this trip or you'll regret it afterwards. I had

hundreds of photos I had to clone the same dust spot off and I didn't get all of them :-P

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I got the most spray from Horsetail falls followed by Multomah and Wahkeen but it was nowhere near as bad as

Snoqualmie falls near Seattle. If the sun comes out, you might as well resign yourself to blown highlights as

well unless you bring enough ND filters which I didn't have (I thought Portland weather was cloudy and rainy more

than the 100F weather we managed to hit)-:

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The Gorge is a great place to visit near Portland...the falls are much better than Seattle's and it seems well

organized.

The Photographer's Guide to the Oregon Coast by David Middleton is supposed to be excellent:

http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Guide-Oregon-Coast-Perfect/dp/088150534X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215314322&sr=8-1

 

 

I have a copy myself, but I haven't been to Oregon since I bought it so that I haven't read it thoroughly.

 

Fog is frequently a problem on the Oregon coast, but Canon Beach does have its brighter days.<div></div>

The Columbia River Gorge is one of the most beautiful places on Earth IMO. People often focus on the river, but the hills are the most intriguing to me.<div></div>

I've been meaning to ask...what do you folks do w/ waterfall images where you tried to silk the waterfall? The leaves always seem to be fuzzy because you need to do a slow exposure and the wind blows them :-P

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<img src="http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/40853/2171494330030340207S600x600Q85.jpg">

I agree that David Middleton's book is great for the Oregon Coast. I used it in 2007. So is Photo Traveler's Oregon Guide. It still might be available even though the company has been purchased. For the Columbia Gorge, use the Photo Traveler Guide and its newsletters, supplemented by this map (and others) you can find on the internet: http://gonw.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=gonw&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.columbiariverhighway.com%2F

Take the old local highway and not the new Interstate.

 

Joe Smith

In my lost post, click on Mt. Hood Scenic Loop. That is the one map I was referring to. Some of the other maps are useful too, like the one to Lost Lake.

 

Joe Smith

You missed the best about the Gorge, the sailing! The Gorge is the mecca of high performance small boat racing in

the country.

 

Beautiful photography though. When i was out there i saw one breadth of sunlight in three days...

I've been there once, but didn't have time to explore the coast. The gorge itself is fantastic... there are so many waterfalls and trails to explore, you could easily spend a week in the gorge alone if you are big on waterfalls and dramatic scenery :)

I just moved to Portland last week and am looking to meet some local landscape photographers. It would be nice to meet some of you, Please write me at gary.conrad [AT] gmail.