Wahclella Falls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Wahclella Falls |
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| Location: | Columbia River Gorge |
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| Type: | Tiered |
| Total height: | 120 ft |
| Longest single drop: | 65 ft |
| Number of drops: | 2 |
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Wahclella Falls is a waterfall along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon.
The Columbia River Highway splits around the access road that leads to the Bonneville Dam. The parking and access area for Wahclella Falls is slightly down the hill and to the right (for eastbound traffic) of the entrance to the dam.
Wahclella is at the mid-point of a well maintained trail loop that extends to approximately a 1 mile roundtrip. The United States Forest Service charges a nominal $5US fee for using the trail, although owners of a Northwest Forest Pass or similar recreation pass are exempted from this. The upper segment of the falls could be higher than it appears but as it is extremely difficult to see, the exact height of the falls will probably never be known. The lower segment stands approximately 65 feet in height as it thunders out of a narrow gorge carved through a dark grey basalt.
The plunge pool has a picturesque quality due to the surrounding natural walls that form a semi-circular rotunda extending from the falls to the main vantage point. As with most waterfalls, Wahclella does exhibit some seasonality of water flow, however, because Tanner Creek is sourced primarily by an underground spring, the flow is never dramatically affected by adverse weather.
Wahclella Falls was named after a nearby village of Native Americans by the Mazama mountaineering club in 1915. Although Wahclella Falls is its officially recognized name, the United States Geological Survey still records the waterfall as Tanner Creek Falls.
