Traveling to Bridal Veil Falls near Portland OR

[hemen_oza]

I thought my earlier question disappeared somehow .. or they added

something to my cofee ;)

 

I am going to Portland, Oregon on a business trip. At that time I am

planning on taking a 4 hour treking trip in and around Bridal Veil and

Multnomah Falls and surrounding area. I am planning on staying at the

Bridal Veil B&B. I will take my N80 with 28-80 kit, 50/1.8 and 70-300

ED and plan on shooting Velvia.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on visiting any other place around

there instead? (since I don't have more time there, I will have to

drop one of these to go to your suggested place). Also any suggestions

on what filters could be more useful in that area at that time

(overcast days, with fall foliage if I am lucky). Any suggestions are

more than welcome.

 

Thanks much!

[blknwhtfoto]

Go up ro rhw old george highway, and cruise around a bit. If you take that it'll only add another 1/2 hour to your trip and its much prettier. And you can stop at a place called sheppards dell, my favorite lil stop in The george(park your car, walk down 50 stairs and you're there) but it is sooooo pretty.

Have fun in portland, ooh you should check out crown point on your way out to the george(again, take the old hwy!)

 

Mike

[manuel_franz]

Got to second Mike on this one. Take the old highway and you'll find something you love.

Some of the waterfalls are in tight and occasionally dark canyons - so don't forget your

tripod and some protection for your gear from the spray. You might also want to have

something to wipe the spray off you lenses.

[jordan_w.]

We were there at the beginning of August. I second the recommendation for the gorge highway. The entry is pretty poorly marked -- look for (IIRC) a brown sign, on the right, just as you pass a large plaza/mall on your way out of the Portland area. When we were there, Multnomah Falls was absolutely packed with people -- pure insanity. Things should be calmer at this time of year but be prepared. The Oregon coast is also lovely and you should visit it if you have time.

[john_demott]

Hello Hemen,

 

It sounds as if this is your first visit to the area. I believe that the Bridal Veil B & B is located along the old Scenic Highway so you will be in a good location.

 

Four hours isn't much time to see the sights. You could spend the time, as many people do, simply driving along the highway and stopping at the pull-outs for different waterfalls--Latourelle, Bridal Veil, Wahkeena, Multnomah, Oneota, Horsetail, Elowah, etc. There are a number of waterfalls within a 10 to 20 mile stretch of highway. At each stop, you can get out of the car and find nice photographic opportunities within a few hundred yards of the highway. Multnomah Falls is the most famous, but also the most crowded.

 

If you enjoy hiking, most of the waterfall areas also offer the chance to follow trails up into the backcountry away from the highway. For example, at Wahkeena Falls, you can walk 1/4 mile to a bridge directly in front of the falls. Another 3/4 mile climb will take you to a nice overlook with a view of the Columbia River. Another 1/2 mile will take you along the creek to the enchanting Fairy Falls. Along the way you will see beautiful Northwest forest with moss, ferns, flowers, etc. So you could do a short walk at one location and also drive to see one or two other waterfalls. I greatly recommend a hike away from the highway to really experience the area, but you may want to spend your limited time seeing as many waterfalls as possible.

 

The weather is becoming a little uncertain at this time of year. You could have rain, or sun or overcast. As you noted, a polarizer can be useful for foliage, particularly if there is any moisture. The contrast between dark foliage and white water can be very extreme if there is sunshine, so a less contrasty film than Velvia could be in order. If the weather is overcast, and particularly if you hike back from the highway, the illumination may be low, so a tripod is a necessity. Obviously, a tripod is also necessary if you want to use slower shutter speeds to get a milky texture to the water. Also, don't overlook the possibility of macro shots of moss, ferns, etc. Enjoy.<div></div>

[david_a._wong]

Hey Hemen,

 

You're in for a nice trip. But I will say that the viewing area is pretty close to Multnomah falls. As such, its pretty tough to catch the whole thing unless you've got a super-wide lens. And Jordan is right...Multnomah can be PACKED. So bring a lot of patience with your gear. But its a great shot! FYI: I would also bring a warming filter with you. The falls are almost in constant shadow and from my experience, this makes Velvia a bit blue. (please see attached photo) I kinda like it, but you may not.

 

Have a great trip.

[kostak]

Take I-84 East to exit 22 (Corbett exit)

 

Drive south to the Old Columbia Highway. After a short distance a park called the "Women's Forum" will be on your left. Nice views of the gorge and the Vista house. I was visiting friends a number of weeks ago and there was some restoration work at the Vista house. I hope it will be gone in your trip. Note that this park is a great sunset location.

 

I would recommend what others have said, drive the Old Columbia Highway stopping at all the highlights. Multnomah Falls is not that crowded at this time of year.

 

If you bring some swimtrunks, you may want to stop at Lower Oneonta Falls, one of the nicest in the gorge (in my opinion). Its a short hike, part of it you have to go through water for a short distance. I would advise attempting to cling to the rocks to get around it.

 

Also, once you reach I-84 (at about exit 35), you can continue on to one of my other favorites, Wahclella Falls (at exit 40). It's just under a mile to the falls with a 300 ft climb (i.e., it's practically flat). Also they finally have rebuilt the lower bridge so there is a slight loop you can take. I would recommend taking the right fork when you come to it.

 

Now if you really had time, you could do the Eagle Creek Trail (exit 41) where you can hike up to Punch Bowl Falls, even Tunnel Falls if you have time.

 

But that's for when you return for a pleasure trip. :)

 

Also, I would highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/089886593X/qid=1097281831/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5688580-4221724?v=glance&s=books

[kostak]

Oops!

 

I would advice AGAINST ....

[sheldonnalos]

I'll second the recommendation for the Women's Forum viewpoint off the Corbett Exit heading towards Crown Point on the Historic Highway. It's a great drive with a lot of nice views, perfect for a Sunset shot...

 

Here's the view from the Womens Forum Park.

 

Sheldon<div></div>

[awahlster]

17mm-20mm lens for most of the falls if you want to get them in one frame you can't get far enough away with a lens much longer. ASA 100 film will require a tripod for most shots. And If you attempt to climb up to the top of Multnomah falls you will have shot your 4 hours.

[patrick_ingram]

I was there in April, and I quite liked one waterfall that was a bit

off the highway. I think it was called Horse-tail falls, but if it

wasn't... you won't find it :). I was on a short hike that loops up

above Oneota gorge, which is also quite nice, and it was one of

those falls that you can walk behind (in fact you have to walk

behind it). I also brought a lovely souvenir back with me to

Canada: bed bugs!

[john_demott]

With a limited time to visit, the short walk to Upper Horsetail Falls (which you walk behind) would fit in very comfortably. As the previous poster correctly noted, the trailhead is located at the highway next to Horsetail Falls. Both the upper and lower Horsetail Falls are photogenic.

[eschrad]

<p>I am not much of a hiker myself (particularly with 20 lbs of camera gear) and I was

also

trying to see a lot of the area in a short amount of time. At Wahkeena and Horsetail, you

can see the falls from your car practically. Multnomah is neat to see, but very hyped and

the presence of a restaurant and gift shop there make it very busy. And being that your

widest angle is 28mm, you probably aren't going to get much with that... at least not

enough to do the falls justice. But it's easy to park and go see it anyway. Latourell is also

very easy to get to. Compared to these, Bridal Veil is a hike. To get to

Bridal Veil, you hike a ways down, across and then back up. It's pretty, but wasn't actually

my favorite of all the falls. I really liked Wahkeena personally.</p>

 

<p><a href="http://homepage.mac.com/eschrad/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/

2003-01-09%2011.42.46%20-0800/ImageWahkeena_Falls.jpg">Wahkeena Falls</a></

p>

<p><a href="http://home.comcast.net/~egschrad/Horsetail-Falls-sm.JPG">Horsetail

Falls</a></p>

 

<p>Have a great trip!</p>