Multnomah Creek
2024 Status
The forest along this hike was severely burned by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire and can no longer be considered an old-growth hike. Information below is presented for historical purposes only.
1993 Map and Text (prior to the Eagle Creek Fire (2017))
The beauty of this streamside trail amply rewards those who outlast the throng around famous Multnomah Falls. Switchback up the flank of the gorge on Trail #441, past a short spur trail to the top of the falls, and on to Upper Multnomah Falls. This first segment of the hike skirts the edge of the 1991 Falls Fire. In places the fire burned lightly along the forest floor, in other places it burst into the tree canopy and killed patches of trees.
Above Upper Multnomah Falls the trail enters a lush, riparian ribbon of Douglas-fir old growth. The rushing stream, tumbling tributaries, and the gorgeous, fern-filled forest floor perfectly complement the majestic old trees. A road crossing just before the three-mile point makes a good turnback spot for those wanting a shorter hike. At about the four-mile point the trail enters a rock-covered slope. If you look back to the northeast you can contrast the craggy, irregular and individualized tree canopies of an old-growth forest (just across the creek) with the more regular, conical crowns of a younger forest (on the far slope).
The finest old growth of the hike lies just beyond the rock slope. In the next 1/2 mile numerous Douglas-firs reach five and six feet in diameter on this very productive, oxalis-carpeted looks a bit like clover) site. This area makes a good turnaround point. With a shuttle this hike can also be done as a one-way trip downhill from Larch Mt. (see Hike #2).
Note: This map was published in 1993 prior to the Eagle Creek Fire, and is shown below for historical purposes.
