Portland: Columbia Gorge Tour, 3 Waterfalls & Vista House｜United States

Begin your small-group tour with pickup from your hotel or apartment in Portland. Head to the Columbia River Gorge, where the river cuts an 80-mile canyon through the Cascade Range.

Stop at the Vista House at Crown Point, a 1918 octagonal stone observatory built on a cliff edge 700 feet above the river. On a clear day, enjoy views that run about 20 miles in each direction. Learn how the Missoula Floods shaped the canyon and why the old highway was routed this way.

Next, take a short walk to Latourell Falls, a single unbroken 249-foot plunge that falls clear of the rock into a shallow pool, backed by bright yellow columnar basalt and framed by maples that turn vivid orange in autumn. Stand almost directly beneath the drop.

Continue to Wahkeena Falls, which descends 242 feet through a series of moss-covered tiers, splitting and re-forming as it goes. Take a short level stroll to get the full view, and have your host point out the fern grottos most visitors walk straight past.

Arrive at Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in Oregon, falling in two cascades separated by the arched Benson Bridge, which has spanned the lower pool since 1914. Walk up to the bridge for the classic photograph, then explore the historic lodge plaza, pick up a coffee, or sit and watch the spray drift across the basin.

On the return, pause at Rooster Rock State Park, a wide riverside park named for the basalt monolith on its eastern edge. After a morning looking up at cliffs, enjoy a level, quiet stop at water level, with the full width of the Columbia in front of you and freight ships moving upriver.

If you choose, make a final stop at The Grotto, National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother. Visit a Catholic outdoor sanctuary beneath a 110-foot basalt cliff on the eastern edge of Portland, surrounded by old-growth forest. The lower plaza holds a cave shrine carved into the rock, stone statuary, and seasonal plantings.

This shared small-group tour is limited to 6 participants, and other travelers may join your departure. Your driver-guide speaks English, with Mandarin Chinese available on request.