Secret Hike to Gorton Creek Falls in the Columbia Gorge
I find hike ideas a lot of different ways. Word of mouth, guidebooks, All Trails, articles, podcasts, getting lost and stumbling on something. Still, somehow I missed Emerald Falls and Gorton Creek Falls until recently. While looking up directions to somewhere else, I saw an unfamiliar waterfall name on Google Maps. At first, I didn’t believe it. How is there a waterfall hike in the Columbia Gorge that I haven’t heard of? And close to I-84? Yet, here we are. My new favorite hidden gem is the short hike to Emerald Falls and Gorton Creek Falls. Although mostly unknown, it’s a real hike and won’t take you onto private property. Stop at Emerald Falls for an easy and family-friendly excursion. Continue to Gorton Creek Falls for an adventure. Here is how to find one of the best-kept secrets in the Columbia Gorge.
You’ll be clambering over boulders on your way to Gorton Creek Falls
Know before you go
The trail to Emerald Falls and Gorton Creek Falls begins at the Wyeth/Gorton Creek Trailhead. You need a NW Forest Pass ($5/day) or America the Beautiful Pass to park.
The Wyeth Campground, including day-use trailhead parking, closes from October to April. The hiking trail is open all year.
If you visit when the campground is closed, park at Wyeth HCRH Trailhead instead and enter on foot. It’ll only add about 0.5 miles to the hike distance. You don’t need a pass to park here.
Both parking areas are paved. Low-clearance vehicles will have no difficulty.
Leashed dogs are welcome on the trail.
Look for the restrooms at the Wyeth Campground.
Emerald Falls
The waterfalls
There are two waterfalls on this hike. The first is small, pretty, and family-friendly. The second is tall and dramatic but requires a scramble to approach it.
Emerald Falls is a 10-foot waterfall at the end of the official trail. It’s easy to reach all year. This waterfall is a good turnaround point if you’re hiking with small children or dogs.
Gorton Creek Falls is a 115-foot, two-tiered waterfall about 0.1 miles upstream of Emerald Falls. The trail between the two waterfalls is informal to non-existent. You’ll walk across the creek a couple of times and climb over some boulders. It would not be a good destination with small children, but I think most older kids would love it. If the water level in the creek is too high, it may not be possible to reach Gorton Creek Falls.
Gorton Creek Falls
On the trail to Emerald Falls and Gorton Creek Falls
Distance: 1.5 miles out and back
Elevation gain: 100 feet
Difficulty: Easy (to Emerald Falls) or moderate (to Gorton Creek Falls)
Pass required: NW Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass from May through September.
Dog friendly: Yes, leashed dogs are welcome on the trail. It will be difficult to reach Gorton Creek Falls with a dog due to the trail conditions. Emerald Falls would be no problem.
ADA access: No
Season: Potentially year-round. Visit Emerald Falls anytime. Gorton Creek Falls will be most impressive in spring but easiest to reach in late summer. Use the alternate parking area from October through April.
The hike follows Gorton Creek to two very different waterfalls
The details:
Starting from the Wyeth Trailhead, the hike begins as a flat and easy stroll through the forest. Shady and never far from Gorton Creek, it stays pleasant even on hot days.
Wyeth/Gorton Creek Trailhead
After about a quarter mile, you’ll reach a trail junction. A sign there points to a trail you aren’t taking, so just ignore it. There’s no mention of either waterfall, but trust me, they are just up ahead.
Walk past this sign
Continue straight past the sign. You’ll see a footbridge over Gorton Creek to your right. Don’t take the bridge, but it’s worth stopping to have a look at the creek.
Don’t cross this bridge
Once you pass the bridge, you’ll continue next to the creek until the end of the hike. There are a couple of opportunities to see its gentle cascades along the way.
The trail follows Gorton Creek
In early spring, you’ll see a few trillium blossoms in the undergrowth. By summer, lush greenery surrounds the trail. White flowers open on the berry bushes in late spring.
Next to the trail, Gorton Creek makes picturesque cascades around mossy boulders.
Gorton Creek
Before you know it, you’ll be at lovely Emerald Falls, which splashes down a funnel-shaped drop as three streams. Although only ten feet high, Emerald Falls looks taller thanks to the cascades upstream that form a kind of waterfall staircase.
Emerald Falls
The moss-covered cliffs around Emerald Falls add some intrigue to its plunge. Maidenhair ferns create a delicate note to the otherwise rough stone.
Gorton Creek
Just past Emerald Falls, you’ll reach a big ol’ tree trunk blocking the path. Turn around here if you’re not in the mood for climbing.
Climb over this log
Once over the tree trunk, you’ll need to cross the creek, which I thought was the trickiest part of the hike. The water is not deep or moving particularly fast, but the rocks are spread out enough to make it hard to keep your feet dry. On a hot day, hiking sandals that can get wet would be a good choice. On a cold one, waterproof hiking boots and some extra socks in the car. A previous hiker had left a makeshift bridge of dead logs next to the bank. They supported me with a little wobbling.
Cross here as best you can
Once you’ve made it across, continue on the right side of the creek for a short distance until you see a faint trail reappear on the left side. You’ll need to cross back over but you’ll have some more route options this time. The season you visit means a trade-off. The waterfalls will be most powerful and interesting in winter and spring, but crossing the creek will also be more difficult.
You’ll head up the right side of the creek and over the rocks
By the time you make it back to the left side of the creek, you’ll see the first glimpse of Gorton Creek Falls through the trees. The going also gets a bit easier from here. It won’t perhaps be an elegant journey, but at least you can stop worrying about getting cold water in your hiking boots.
The first glimpse of Gorton Creek Falls behind the trees
This last part of the trek will slow, mostly to avoid a twisted ankle or bruised knees. Photographers will be even slower thanks to the picturesque cascades that create a generous number of composition choices.
Cascades along Gorton Creek
As you make your way toward Gorton Creek Falls, you might see a slug or two on the rocks. You’re also likely to spot songbirds here. They start having a proprietary air from around Emerald Falls. As robins chirped and fussed at me, I got the sense they see fewer human visitors here than most hiking trails.
Slug next to the creek
After a few more boulders, trunks, roots, and rock scree, you’ll reach the finale, gorgeous Gorton Creek Falls. You’ll see the waterfall’s 80-foot lower tier first. Continue around the plunge pool to catch a glimpse of the smaller, recessed upper tier.
Lower tier of Gorton Creek Falls
Take a moment to relax on a boulder and admire the falls before clambering back the way you came. Chances are you’ll have the place to yourself for as long as you want to stay.
Gorton Creek Falls
Getting there
To reach the Wyeth/Gorton Creek Trailhead from Portland, take I-84 E until Exit 51. Turn right onto Wyeth Rd and continue for 0.3 miles until for reach you reach the entrance to Wyeth Campground (May through September) or Wyeth HCRH Trailhead (October through April). The Wyeth HCRH Trailhead is just past the campground entrance. Both will be on your left. I was worried that finding the alternate parking would be confusing, but it ended up being easy. The drive from Portland takes about 50 minutes.
Wyeth Campground:
NW Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass.
Use these directions from May through September. After turning into the campground, drive past the campsites down a short road that ends at the trailhead. You’ll see a sign with hiker icons pointing the way. I doubt you’ll have trouble getting a parking spot. Mine was the only car there both when I arrived and when I left. If needed, you can use the lot to the west of the campground as overflow parking (see below).
Wyeth HCRH Trailhead:
No pass is needed to park here.
Use these directions from October through April or for overflow parking. Just after the gated campground entrance, turn left and enter the large parking lot. Once you park, walk back to the parking lot entrance and take a right onto the paved walking and biking path. After about 0.1 miles, turn right and walk past the campground gate. It is okay to enter on foot all year. Walk to the end of the road to reach the trailhead.
Enjoy the scramble to Gorton Creek Falls!
With love,
Emma
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