Photo: KATU
Arborists will continue removing hazard trees near Multnomah Falls next Monday, triggering up to two days of limited access to the lower viewing platform and trail to Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls.
Weather permitting, arborists will start around 8 a.m. on Monday, October 1, and continue until around sunset, with work set to resume on Tuesday, October 2 at 8 a.m. During these two days, opportunities to get scenic photographs of the falls will be limited.
Multnomah Falls Lodge – including the restaurant, gift shop, and information center – will remain open during the work.
The interagency efforts will protect facilities and improve public safety by removing trees near the falls that were burned and damaged by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. About 50 dead or dying trees surrounding Multnomah Falls were cleared this week, but about 40 more trees need to be removed from the site.
Next week’s work includes hazard tree removal from the cliff east of the Lodge, in order to mitigate safety concerns on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The work is necessary to get the historic highway one step closer to reopening.
Visitors can call the U.S. Forest Service Information Center at Multnomah Falls Lodge at (503) 695-2372 to check the current status of the lower viewing platform before heading out.
Current estimates suggest that west end hiking trails on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area may reopen by the end of 2018. This includes Larch Mountain (up to the junction with Wahkeena Falls), Wakheena Falls, Angels Rest, Devil’s Rest, Vista Point, and the Return Trail. Find more details about closures due to Eagle Creek Fire 2017 at bit.ly/eaglecreekfireresponse.