Wherever we travel to we try to imagine ourselves living in that place. At the end of the day, we always ultimately decide that Laguna Beach can’t be beat. We joke that in SoCal, the thing you can always count on are sunny days. That lack of precipitation is reflected in our brownish and not-so-pretty landscape. The Pacific Northwest, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. The amount of rain this region gets creates this lush scenery that is a feast for sore eyes. Not only is everything big and green, but waterfalls are aplenty. Half an hour east of Portland is the Columbia River Gorge. Thanks to the number of waterfalls in this region, Interstate 84 that runs through the area is also know as the Waterfall Corridor. Today, we went waterfall hopping.

The Multnomah Falls is Oregon’s famed waterfall. It is the tallest in the state, and a distant fifth in the country (3 of the top 4 are in Yosemite National Park in California and all are over 1,500 ft), plunging down 620 ft. What it lacks in height is made up for in beauty.

The park is instituting a timed permit reservation starting May 24 through the summer, so we managed to dodge the hassle of trying to secure a permit. The crowd was thin when we got there, and even thinner past Benson Bridge. We were practically hiking alone on the 4.5-mile Multnomah Wahkeena trail loop.

Before heading back to Portland, we made a quick stop at the Bridal veil falls.

After our time in the park, I had briefly entertained the idea of living in Portland. However, the traffic back into town quickly squashed that consideration. There’s a reason why we don’t live in LA.

• Hiking
• Oregon
• Travel
• USA