We took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and the absence of summer crowds to get in our first Gorge hike in ages. Latourell Falls is only a 45 minute drive from home (plus traffic), and the first view of the 249 foot lower falls is just a short walk from the parking lot. But the 2.5 mile loop past the upper falls is definitely worthwhile, especially with dry trails.
(Click any image for a lightbox style slideshow of all the photos in this gallery.)
The Lower Falls. 
Cooling lava created these hexagonal columns of basalt. 
The first view of the Upper Falls. 
From the other side of the bridge you can see the start of the Upper Falls above. 
A resilient hiker and a resilient tree. 
Another resilient tree. 
The view across the Columbia River. 
There’s basalt on both sides of the river. The Washington side has a train tunnel.
Discoveries 
Spectacular! Those waterfall shots are just wonderful. The title page shot is a stunner!
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