FULL HIKE to ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS Lower & Upper Latourell Falls! | Columbia River Gorge | Oregon | 4K

This was a Day-Hike in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area near Mount Hood in Oregon, doing Latourell Falls Loop (from Guy W. Talbot State Park), 3 miles, 728 FT Elevation Gain. Latourell Falls (the Lower one) is available immediately at the trailhead as instant gratification without much hiking, but if you want the full experience than you can do the Rainforest Loop that yields you Upper Latourell Falls (part of the George W. Joseph Natural Area) which is the prettier of the two Latourell Falls in my humble opinion (and the 3rd Tallest Waterfall in the entire Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area).Show more

I hiked this on 5/20/2022, and this was the first of four hikes I did that day as I captured a few of the easier hikes along the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area route, some of the lowest hanging fruit so to speak. One of the things I particularly like about Latourell Falls Loop is that it has that Wilderness Adventuring feel of a muddy/dirt trail in the Rainforest, whereas several of the other popular Trails in the area are more paved cement/asphalt the entire way which has that touristy feel which is less natural to me, so this one had more of a natural wild rustic feel which I greatly enjoy and appreciate.

The weather was inconsistent, some sun breaks, blue sky, clouds and overcast, with a low in the high 30's and a high in the 50's, and there were NO mosquitoes. As far as road conditions, it's highway and paved side roads to the parking lot, it is an easy and safe driving route. In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES NOT require 4-Wheel Drive or high clearance, however do watch for road conditions, particularly snow/ice depending on the time of year, and do so at your own risk!