With work, classes, and sports it’s easy to get stuck on our little hill, but breaks are the perfect opportunity to get off campus and explore the area. In the past, I’ve taken these opportunities to drive to Eugene or Salem to party with friends at the University of Oregon and Willamette, but this break I decided to get outside. With a quick google search, I realized there are a lot of day trips and hikes around my area. My boyfriend and I took the opportunity to explore some trails near the Columbia River Gorge and were able to get in two hikes in the last two days.
There are tons of trails and views along the river and all it takes is hopping on I84 for half an hour and you’re at a trailhead that will bring you to some beautiful waterfalls or gorgeous view of the river. I think most people who go to Lewis & Clark have gone to Multnomah Falls at some point, either with their families near their move-in day. I went during one of the first weeks with some of my friends, we rented a zip-car and drove out to Multnomah Falls, for me it was a disappointing “hike” and I had no idea I was only a few miles from some great longer hikes that are more my style. Multnomah Falls is a great spot if you want a shorter hike as the falls are less than a mile up, but it’s also a busier hike and when my friends went we spent a long time waiting for a clearing to take photos, walking slowly because there were people in front and behind us.
A similar hike to Multnomah Falls is the one to Wahclella Falls. I enjoyed this hike because it wasn’t too busy and was also a chill hike, but was an actual trail instead of being mostly paved like Multnomah. The hike to Wahclella goes along a creek and you can see a few waterfalls along the way. The day we went it was wet and rainy, but it was still a beautiful hike and didn’t have too much of an incline so the mud wasn’t a problem until getting in the car with muddy shoes.
The second hike we went on was the Angel’s Rest trail. I loved this hike. It was a good thing it was sunny because hiking this trail muddy wouldn’t have been fun. It was enough of a climb on the way there to feel like you got some good exercise but not too much that you’re exhausted to enjoy the beautiful view at the top where you can see the Columbia River and Washington on the other side. It was terribly windy on top so my boyfriend and I found a spot sheltered from the wind on some rocks that were warm from soaking in the sun all day. We sat and ate lunch and then lay on our backs enjoying the sun and full bellies.
