Getting To Multnomah Falls Without The Hassle Of Driving And Parking

So, I mentioned in an earlier article that there are better ways to get to Multnomah Falls this year.  For those of you that don’t know, Multnomah Falls is an absolute nightmare to park in the spring and summertime. I want to make it as easy as possible for those of you who are new or are coming perhaps in a road trip here to the Columbia River Gorge to get there.

First things first.

Know that you need tickets during the peak months now to get into Multnomah. I know because I worked there at Multnomah Falls during the summer of 2021.  I was the one checking tickets and here is what happened last year.

To get tickets you need to go to recreation.gov

Many people waited hours to park…and I’m talking about waiting in like 90 degree weather to park there at Multnomah, so here is my first heads up and advice:

Plan to get there by either shuttle or transit.

The reason why is you will save hours out of your day by taking either the CAT bus or a shuttle like Sasquatch Shuttle to see Multnomah.  Here is what I can recommend if you want to see Hood River and you also want a stress free day.

OPTION 1:  

Park in Hood River and hop onto one of the local shuttles that will take you to the Columbia Area Transit Station, or you can park there at the transit station located at 224 Wasco Loop in Hood River.

If you are either in downtown Hood River or at the waterfront you can get on the shuttle and get to the CAT station from there.  I would suggest one of two pick up points at the waterfront.

One is by PFriem, the other is by the gas station and both pick up points are purple in color.  Perhaps if you are unsure the gas station attendant or someone at Pfriem can help you out.  Once you get to the CAT station, you can hop onto a bus and let them do the driving and hassle for you.  Your fare includes the ticket to get into Multnomah as well.

Now the price is about 1 dollar to get to the CAT station and then about 10 dollars from the CAT station to Multnomah.  As a point…also you can hop off for a bit at Cascade Locks as well you wish to sightsee there or stop at Thunder Island Brewing and have a nice lunch there.  Hassle free!!

There is another pickup point in front of Thunder Island and you can resume your journey to Multnomah from there.

Once there, be sure to get a ticket from the bus that takes you there, at least that is what they were doing in 2021.

Something to keep in mind….and something very important: THERE IS BARELY CELL PHONE OR INTERNET CONNECTION AT MULTNOMAH FALLS, so keep that in mind.  Near the falls since it is near the cliffs there is barely any reception some carriers don’t have any reception there at all.

OPTION 2

Park at Cascade Locks, then walk to Thunder Island Brewing as I mentioned earlier and catch the bus from there to Multnomah.  The nice thing about this option is that you can sightsee and you are never far from your car.

You made it to Multnomah! Now what???

There is much to do at Multnomah. For starters you’ll notice that they have a restaurant, a gift shop, and a concession stand.

The restaurant is Multnomah Falls Lodge

The gift shop is your standard gift shop, they have hats, shirts, books and other interesting things.

The confession stand is good.  I would say that their espresso is nice but they are quite small in my opinion and most of their food is muffins, cookies, and pastries such as fudge and other similar food items.  I think they also sell candy coated almonds and nuts as well.

There is another pizza making stand there behind the concession stand, but during the summer months expect long lines to these stands!

Now…time to head up to see the falls!  The view is spectacular!  Now, the walkway curves around and you can walk up to the bridge to get an even better view of the falls.  The climb is a bit steep so if you have a group that has some walking issues I would say stay either at the first lookout point or the bridge.  The trail continues to go on and up and up, so if you do plan on going on the trail prepare for a hike and bring cool clothes during the summer months.

Other points to keep in mind:

The Forest Service has a small office there, so you may want to keep in mind they are there for any emergencies that may arise should any arise.  They are located next to the concession stand and on the left side of the gift shop if you are looking at the gift shop from the outside.

Thanks for reading!!  I hope this gives a starter on how to avoid the hassle of getting to Multnomah Falls for your trip.  I am wanting to make it easier for you to see this magnificent site!

I saw this video and I liked how it came out, it does show a good overview of the hiking involved.  Please check out some of the informative videos below for more information on transportation and what its like there at Multnomah.  I also would appreciate it if you clicked on any of the links provided if you do decide to book anything through this site it would really help me out!  Thanks again!! I appreciate your visit to my page!

See Also: https://www.discoverhoodriver.com/multnomah-falls-in-oregon-july-2021/

See Also: https://www.discoverhoodriver.com/road-trip-to-oregon-january-8-2022/

See Also my Reddit Page For Multnomah Falls: https://www.reddit.com/r/multnomahfalls/

Last but not least, if you do decide to come around for a bit to the area why not check out booking.com and it would help me out as well as I get a small commission through anything you purchase through booking.com on here.