Portland Oregon Temple

The Portland Oregon Temple, my 75th temple

We visited Portland in June of 2026. The Portland Oregon Temple was my 75th temple. It is beautiful and spectacular, sitting perfectly in a spacious piece of land with tall trees, countless beautiful flowers, and greenery everywhere. The marble is very unique. It was brought in from Vermont for the construction of the temple. It appears throughout the temple, not just on the outside. There is even marble in the altars in the sealing rooms. The chapel on the third floor has marble windows. The temple was dedicated in 1989. It is located at 13600 Kruse Oaks Blvd. in Lake Oswego. Its google maps location is here: Portland Temple

There are so many tall trees that it was difficult to find a place to take an unobstructed photograph. In fact, we had driven around the area where the temple is situated and we didn't even notice it was there, it was completely blocked by trees. But then as we drove up the road towards the temple and it came into view, it took my breath away. Once we knew where it was, as we drove around the area we were able to see Angel Moroni shining through the trees every now and then.

My very favorite thing about the Portland Temple is the atrium that is right inside the front doors, to the side of the recommend desk. You can go inside the atrium and walk along the little path, and sit down and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. There is a beautiful view of the Angel Moroni and the spires of the temple through the glass ceiling.

I also was mesmerized by the reflection in the sealing room that we were in while doing sealings. We were in sealing room 4. As I was kneeling at the altar doing sealings, I looked in the "eternity mirrors," as I call them, as I always love to do so that I can see forever. The view in these mirrors was so beautiful because of the etched sides of the 3-piece mirrors on each wall, and because of the crystals hanging from the chandeliers. The light reflecting through the crystal and reflecting for eternity created beautiful colors that went on forever -- something that I haven't seen in any other temple that I've been to. It was very unique and very beautiful.

After our sealing session, our sealer took us up a marble staircase to the third floor. He showed us each of the sealing rooms on the third floor. There are 13 or 14 sealing rooms in the Portland Temple. One of the sealing rooms, which is closest to the Celestial Room, has hearts carved into the carpet and painted on the ceiling. This is the room where sealers meet with a bride and groom before they are married. It is a small sealing room, and I don't know if it's also used for sealings or if it is only used for the purpose of counseling the bride and groom before their wedding. Then the sealer walked us through double doors that led to the upper floor of the Celestial Room. The Portland Temple is one of few temples that has multiple levels in the Celestial Room. It was so incredible to walk through the doors on this higher level and look down to view the entire Celestial Room. We walked down the stairs and enjoyed the view of the whole room, and also went inside the small sealing room that is inside the Celestial Room. It was a very special experience, and I was grateful that we were there at the end of the night so that the sealer would have had time to show us these special things inside the temple.

There is a reflecting pool with a large pedestal and stairs behind it, with the temple in the background. This is a perfect spot for wedding photos after the bride and groom come out of the nearby exit of the temple. I could go on and on and on about how beautiful the grounds are at this temple. As I looked at all of the beautiful flowers all over the grounds of the temple, I kept wondering how many hours must go into caring for these grounds. The sheer volume of flowers must require a full army of gardeners to care for them!

There is a visitor's center on site that has a Christus and various displays, including a display of Books of Mormon in different languages that if you wave them past the cabinet you will hear Moroni's promise in many different languages. We were greeted by a senior couple and a set of sister missionaries as we entered the visitor center.

Here is a video of our visit to the Portland Temple: Portland Oregon Temple

The temple came into view as we drove up the drive

My husband and I at the Portland Temple in June of 2026

This unique marble appears throughout the temple

Me in front of my 75th temple

The Visitor's Center

inside the visitor's center

The books have chips in them that if you wave them past the console it plays a message about the Book of Mormon in that particular language

My husband and I at the Christus inside the visitor's center

Photos of the temple at night

We tried to see Lake Oswego while we were staying near the temple, but it is completely surrounded by houses. We were able to get a couple glimpses of it:

Where to Stay Near the Temple

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Portland South/Lake Oswego, which is only a 3 minute drive from the temple. It is located at 6100 South Meadows Road, Lake Oswego, Oregon. Its google maps location is here: Fairfield by Marriott We found a Book of Mormon in our night stand drawer, something that I really love about Marriott hotels. There is not a hot tub at this hotel, although there is an indoor swimming pool that is heated to 85 degrees. Breakfast is included. The hotel is clean and modern and comfortable.

entrance for the Fairfield Inn

Where to Eat Near the Temple

Across the street from our hotel is an Applebee's, which is where we ate dinner the first night we were in town. There are also various restaurants nearby, such as the Olive Garden, Chick-Fil-A, Red Robin, Outback Steakhouse, Oswego Grill, and several more that are within minutes of the temple.

After our temple session, we drove a couple miles to a shopping center where we ate some ice cream at a fun place called Salt & Straw. I enjoyed a scoop of sea salt and caramel ribbon ice cream. My husband had a shake with salted malted cookie dough ice cream and brownie mixed together. We ate at a fun spot in the shopping center that had a lot of seating around a fire. Lots of people were eating and visiting. There is an IMAX theater in the shopping center as well. The ice cream shop is located here: Salt & Straw The shopping area is called Bridgeport Village.

We also ate at a fun pizza place called Pizzeria Otto. Its google maps location is here: Pizzieria Otto in Lake Oswego It was very crowded, and the food was delicious.

Applebee's is only a few minutes from the Portland Temple

Salt & Straw is a few minutes' drive from the Portland Temple

This fun eating area is just outside of Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw is very popular

Pizzeria Otto was a fun place to eat as well, with great food

What to Do Near the Temple

The Willamette Valley Oregon Temple is an hour and a half drive from Portland as long as there's not traffic. Once construction is completed, the Vancouver Washington Temple will only be a half hour away. We were in Portland for a few days, so we went to see a variety of things in the area.

This was our itinerary for our visit in June of 2026:

Day One:

flight from SLC to Portland

Portland Temple sealing session

Day Two:

Willamette Valley Temple

Natural Rock Arch

Phantom Natural Bridge (our attempt -- we didn't make it due to a google maps error)

Day Three:

Hike to the arch at Arch Cape - the tide was lowest in the morning, so we arrived at 9 am

Attend the Seaside Ward at 10 a.m., which is located here: Seaside Ward

Indian Beach

Cannon Beach

Twin Rocks Arch

Oceanside Beach

Tunnel Beach

Cape Meares

Three Arch Rocks

Day Four:

Catherine Creek Arch hike

Bridge of the Gods

Wahclella Falls hike

Multnomah Falls hike

Bridal Veil Falls

flight from Portland to SLC

Here is an overview of the places that we visited near Portland:

Natural Rock Arch in Oregon

Quick Facts:

.78 miles total out-and-back

extremely steep and slippery

Parking available

Trailhead Location

We visited Portland, Oregon in June of 2026. We wanted to go arch hunting near Portland, and one of the arches I found online was Natural Rock Arch in Gates, Oregon. It is a beautiful drive to reach the trailhead. The highway is surrounded by tall trees. In fact, we drove through what we compared to the Tree Tunnel on Kauai, Hawaii. The trees on either side of the road created a canopy. When we turned off the highway onto Niagara Heights Road, which is a dirt and gravel road, we had 6 miles until the trailhead. We drove it in a Ford Eco Sport and it did just fine. It is a very steep and narrow road with lots of switchbacks. It is very well marked. There are several "Trailhead" signs that keep you from veering off on a wrong road. You should also enter it into your GPS before leaving. Here is the google maps location of the trailhead: Natural Arch Trailhead

Here is a video of our visit to Natural Rock Arch: Natural Rock Arch in Gates, Oregon

There is plenty of parking at the trailhead. We were the only ones there the whole time. We passed a couple of trucks driving down when we were driving up Niagara Heights Road, but we only passed a sheriff's truck driving up as we were coming down after our hike.

The trailhead is well marked, as is the parking lot. This hike is very steep and has loose rocks throughout the entire hike. We hiked it in pouring rain and it was very slippery. It would have been slippery even without the rain because of the loose rocks. It was a lot harder to get down than to get back up because of how steep it was. I fell while hiking in Austria, and ever since then I've been ultra cautious when hiking because I don't want to fall again. So I hiked down the steep terrain very, very slowly. I did slip on some rocks and almost fall once, but the rest of the time I was ok just going slow. There are a few places where large rocks have been added to the trail, creating man-made stairs along the trail. The trail is very obvious and easy to follow, just extremely steep. You can see the arch come into view when you have about 3 switchbacks left, but we hiked it on a very cloudy, rainy day, so I wonder if with better visibility you would be able to see the arch come into view sooner. The last little switchback before reaching the arch is the very most slippery, so be careful! Luckily I had my husband to help me the whole time. There are a couple of stairs made of wood at the very end of the trail that help you climb underneath the arch. The arch is located here: Natural Rock Arch

The arch is about 50 feet tall, which is about the same height as the famous Delicate Arch in Moab, Utah. It is a natural sandstone arch. The hike from the trailhead to the arch is only .41 miles. I measured it at .78 round-trip from the trailhead to the arch and back to the trailhead. Hiking back up the steep trail gives your calves a work-out, but it was much easier for me to go up than to go down because I wasn't nearly as worried about slipping and falling when hiking back up.

The arch is beautiful and magnificent. There is a large rock that looks like it may fall out of the arch at any moment. You can stand underneath the arch and enjoy the view on both sides. It is hard to get a good photo of the arch from the front because you can't stand level with the bottom of the arch more than a couple feet away before the ground drops off. You can take a photo from the back of the arch by walking through it and walking several feet away from it. There is a small cave behind the arch that is a very short climb to get inside of. Someone has painted graffiti inside it, which made me very sad.

There are climbing anchors permanently affixed to the arch for those brave enough to climb on top of the arch. I will stay safely on the ground and admire the arch from below. We enjoyed our time at the arch and then headed back up the very steep, slippery trail, to our car and drove slowly down Niagara Heights Road to the highway.

Natural Rock Arch is only 2 miles as the crow flies from Phantom Natural Bridge. You can't get between the two by hiking, as far as I can tell. We attempted to drive from the Natural Rock Arch trailhead to the Phantom Bridge Trailhead, which takes you back down Niagara Heights Road and onto the highway for about 13 miles and then up French Creek Road to the trailhead, but at this point along the road: FS 2207, google maps wanted us to turn onto a road that was closed, supposedly only about 5 miles before we reached the trailhead. We gave up and turned around, thinking the road to the trailhead was closed due to fire damage like many other surrounding roads. When I got back to the hotel, however, I studied the roads and discovered that google maps was trying to send us on the wrong road -- even if that road had been open, we never would have reached the trailhead going that way. We should have continued on French Creek Road (FS 2223) all the way to the trailhead. Since we didn't make it all the way, I don't know what condition the road would have been in. A sign said that the pavement was ending right before Google Maps tried to get us to take the wrong turn, but we didn't ever drive on the unpaved road. One of the reviews on the All Trails app said that it's possible to drive within a quarter mile of the natural bridge if you have an SUV. Without an SUV, I am guessing that you could drive to the trailhead and hike the 1.3 miles each way to the natural bridge. I was very disappointed not to be able to see the Phantom Natural Bridge also, but I guess I'll just have to go back to Oregon! Phantom Natural Bridge Trailhead is located here: Phantom Bridge Trailhead and the natural bridge is located here: Phantom Natural Bridge The distance between the two trailheads (Natural Rock Arch and Phantom Natural Bridge) is only 28.4 miles, but it takes over an hour to drive between the two, mostly because of the steep, windy dirt road coming from Natural Rock Arch Trailhead.

Our trip to Natural Rock Arch:

On the way to Natural Rock Arch, we went through this Tree Tunnel, very similar to one that we drove through on Kauai in Hawaii. We were coming from the direction of Eugene, Oregon

We turned off of interstate 5 onto highway 20 and then only highway 22

turning onto highway 22 towards Mill City

We went through Lyons, Oregon

When we reached Niagara, we turned left onto Niagara Heights Road

Niagara Heights Road

There are plenty of signs directing towards the Natural Rock Arch Trailhead

It was raining pretty steadily, thus the misty windshield photos

reaching the parking area

This sign is at the trailhead

The parking lot has plenty of room for several cars. We were completely alone on the hike.

The beginning of the trailhead

the sign at the parking lot

The trail is very easy to follow, although very slippery and steep with lots of loose rocks

There were beautiful flowers along the trail

There were also raspberries along the trail

Some stone steps had been placed to make it easier to navigate the slippery steep trail

This was our first view of the arch through the foggy mist -- I wonder how much more quickly we would have been able to see it if it had been a clear day

This is the last turn before reaching the arch

These wooden stairs were built to make it easier to get under the arch

Heading under the arch

My husband and I at the arch

It's hard to get a photo of the arch from the front because the terrain drops off so quickly in front of the arch. You can get a photo from behind.

View from behind the arch

view looking out while standing under the arch

under the arch

This boulder looks like it's about to fall at any second

inside the arch

looking up at the arch

inside the arch

Behind the arch is a small cave

the back of the arch

Inside the small cave - someone painted graffiti in it

standing under the arch

view of the arch from the cave

one of the slugs we saw on the trail

Me inside the arch

view from inside the arch

looking up at the arch

under the arch

My husband and I under the arch

My last look at the arch before we started back on the trail

looking back for one last look at the arch as we hiked back up

back on the very slippery trail

another slug joining us on the trail

back at the beginning of the trailhead

beautiful drive back to the beginning of Niagara Heights Road

The beginning of Niagara Heights Road

Here are our stats from the hike:

This is my All Trails route

This is the round trip distance on my Map my Run app

Map My Run route from the arch up to the trailhead

Map My Run stats

One way is .41 miles

Next we attempted to head to Phantom Natural Bridge

We turned left onto highway 22 to head towards the road leading to Phantom Natural Bridge.

We drove past Big Cliff Dam on highway 22. We also drove past Detroit Dam

We turned onto French Creek Road, which is paved

This is where google maps tried to get us to turn, onto 2207. Don't take that turn -- continue following 2223

Road 2207 was closed. If we'd continued on 2223 we would have come to the Phantom Natural Bridge trailhead. Google Maps was incorrect.

Catherine Creek Arch

Catherine Creek Arch from below

Quick Facts:

1.84 mile loop

Moderately easy

Parking & bathrooms

Trailhead Location

Catherine Creek Arch is located just over the Oregon border in Lyle, Washington. My husband and I went on a trip to Portland, Oregon, and I searched for arches near Portland. Catherine Creek came up in my search. I didn't realize that this arch was actually a Washington arch, not an Oregon arch, until we crossed the Columbia River and entered Washington. It is in the Columbia Gorge area.

The hike is beautiful and moderately easy, although it is very windy up on top of the mountain. There are loose volcanic rock throughout the hike, and there are steep sections so be careful not to fall on the loose rock. You can't get under or on top of this arch because it has been fenced off due to its sacredness to the Native American people. You can view it from below, but it cannot be seen from above because of the fences.

There is a parking lot and bathrooms at the trailhead. There are numerous trails there, and not very good signage, so I'd recommend downloading the trail map on All Trails. There are several forks in the road and it's not clear which way to go without the app.

The trail is a loop that you can take either way. We chose to go left on the loop, and that's what I would recommend. The arch comes into view at about half a mile into the hike. The trail takes you up on top of the mountain gradually, and then you walk past the top of the arch. You cannot see the opening from above. A lot of the fences have been knocked down, probably by people who were trying to see the opening. There are signs reminding people to show respect for the Native American culture and not to enter the fenced area.

As we stood on top of the mountain looking at where we thought the arch was probably located, the winds were extremely high and I was grateful they weren't blowing towards the west or they might have blown us right off the cliff.

The hike is only 1.84 miles total and was a great start to our morning. The arch is located here: Catherine Creek Arch

Headed from Portland towards Catherine Creek Arch trailhead, which is just across the Oregon border in Washington

Highway 84

about to head over the Hood River Bridge into Washington

The Columbia River from Hood River Bridge

Hood River Bridge

Heading into Washington

My husband and I headed to the arch

The Catherine Creek Trailhead, there is plenty of parking

The porta potties at the Catherine Creek Arch trailhead

view from the parking lot

The porta-potty is on the opposite side of the road from the arch trailhead

view of the parking lot and trailhead

There are a lot of different trails in the area. I used my All Trails app to be sure I was staying on the right trail. There are a few signs also.

This sign is at the trailhead

beautiful view back at the river

Beautiful flowers along the way

There are a few of these signs placed in the area of the arch to keep people from standing under it or viewing it from above

we crossed this little "creek"

our first view of the arch as we got closer to it

Catherine Creek Arch hidden behind the trees

The fence that protects the arch

The fenced area below the arch

As we walked around the fenced area we found some better views of the arch

Me under the arch

After passing by the arch is when the best views can be seen

looking up at Catherine Creek Arch

My husband and I outside the fenced area that protects the arch

continuing on the trail after the arch -- it slowly winds up on top of the cliff to pass by the top of the arch, although you cannot see the arch from above

continuing on the trail

it was a slow and steady up hill

beautiful views on the trail

one of many divides in the trail -- use your All Trails app to be sure where to turn

We saw a lot of runners on the trail and other trails while we were there

beautiful foliage on the trail

almost to the top

my husband and I on the trail

beautiful view of the Columbia River

The top of the arch is inside this fenced area

The top of the arch is somewhere along the rock line, but I couldn't ever see the opening. It appeared that many people had gone over the fence to take a look. Several parts of the fence had been broken.

I wish we could have gotten closer to the top of the arch so that we could have seen the opening

beautiful view from above the arch

This might be the top of the arch

top of the arch

The rock ridge that could be the top of the arch is very long

I wondered if this might be the top of the arch, but from below I can't tell if there's a tree right behind it.

This rock ridge is directly across from another reminder about the arch being sacred to Native Americans. So it's possible that this is actually the top of the arch

It was incredibly windy, but this is a sign that was posted on the fence above the arch

View from the side of the fence - there isn't even a hint of an opening behind this rock wall

heading down on the trail

view down on the trail

The bridge off in the distance - we end up crossing that later

Here's the bridge

This was a fun bridge to cross

views from the bridge

off the other side of the bridge

Back at the trailhead

back on the Lewis & Clark Road again, headed back in the direction of Portland

back across Hood River Bridge

back in Oregon again

back on Highway 84 again

Video of my All Trails hike of Catherine Creek Arch

Here are screenshots from my Map My Run app:

The total loop distance of the Catherine Creek Arch trail

This is how far into the hike we came across the arch

The All Trails app distance varied slightly from my Map My Run app distance

Following this hike we also hiked to Wahclella Falls, visited Bridge of the Gods, hiked Multnomah Falls, hiked Bridal Veil Falls, drove past the Vista House, and then headed to the airport.

Wahclella Falls

Wahclella Falls is only a 39 minute drive away from the Catherine Creek Arch trailhead. It is along highway 84. I first learned about Wahclella Falls when it kept appearing as a screensaver on my computer. I saw that it was in Portland, and decided to visit it while we were in town. It was worth the hike!

The trailhead location is here: Google Maps location of Wahclella Falls trailhead

The lower parking lot was full, that is next to the trailhead, so we parked in the upper lot, which is about a quarter mile hike downhill to the trailhead.

the steep walk down from the upper parking lot to the trailhead

There are porta-potties right by the trailhead

The beginning of the trail

Near the beginning of the trail is Munra Falls, which is right next to the trail

Munra Falls

Munra Falls is located here: Google Maps location of Munra Falls

The waterfall continues below the bridge

Munra Falls on the trail

The trail is very well marked and very, very busy

the inside of a log next to the trail

Finally at Wahclella Falls

beautiful Wahclella Falls

view of the waterfall through a hole in the trees

My husband and I at Wahclella Falls in June 2026

There are several large buildups of logs below the waterfall

This is the view that always appeared on my computer home screen where I first learned about Wahclella Falls

one of the bridges we crossed on our hike

more of the log buildup

another of the bridges we crossed

on the bridge

view from the bridge

continuing back on the trail. The trail is a loop, and on the way up we took the trail on the left. We came back on the trail on the right.

back to Munra Falls again

Here is a video of Munra Falls: Munra Falls

Munra Falls

James thought these mossy creations in the trees looked like dementors from Harry Potter

Here is a video of our visit to Wahclella Falls: Wahclella Falls

Here are the stats of our hike from my All Trails app

These are the stats from my Map My Run app

Map My Run app shows this route

Map My Run showed .92 miles from the trailhead to the waterfall

Distance to Munra Falls along the trail to Wahclella Falls

Here is a video from my All Trails app: All Trails route of Wahclella Falls

Bridge of the Gods

We also visited the Bridge of the Gods as we were driving highway 84. It is a few miles from the Wahclella Falls trailhead. Its google maps location is here: Bridge of the Gods It is also in Cascade Locks. The bridge is 1,858 feet long and 35 feet wide. It is 135 feet above the Columbia River. It was built in 1926. The bridge gave us a brochure that states that scientists believe that 1,000 years ago a giant landslide blocked the Columbia River Gorge and stopped the river's flow. This natural dam eventually became a natural stone bridge, which collapsed and created the Cascade Rapids. There are also Native American legends about the natural bridge, which are detailed in the brochure from the Port of Cascade Locks. It costs $3 to cross the toll bridge.

Google Maps screenshot of Wahclella Falls and Bridge of the Gods along Highway 84

Heading to Bridge of the Gods

The Bridge of the Gods

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is one of the most recognizable waterfalls in the world, because of the Benson Bridge at 105 feet above the ground, lending a beautiful view of the 620 foot waterfall. Multnomah Falls has been featured in a few movies, most notably Twilight. It can be seen in the background during the baseball scene. The google maps location of Multnomah Falls is here: Multnomah Falls You can access parking for the falls a couple different ways -- exit 31 off of highway 84, which we tried first. You have to have already purchased a timed entry before arriving, or else you're not likely to get in to see the falls because they only allow a limited number of people in from this parking lot. Here is the website to purchase your timed entry: Multnomah Falls Timed Entry

Luckily one of the workers told me to go back on Highway 84 to exit 35 (you could also use exit 28) and take the Historic Columbia River Highway instead. This brought us to a different parking area right next to Multnomah Falls. I'd recommend using this old highway in the first place because the views are beautiful and you can access other waterfalls and scenic places, like Vista House. The parking is limited at this other Multnomah Falls parking area on the old highway. Luckily when we arrived, there was one spot in the lot, so we got to park and go in. It costs $20 to park for as long as you want. From this lot it is only a short walk to the Multnomah Falls Lodge and the falls themselves, much closer than the other lot would have been.

We started our visit by eating lunch at the lodge, which was delicious. Then we walked to the bathrooms, which were porta-potties outside, since they are remodeling the lodge. And finally we headed over to view the Falls. We hiked up to Benson Bridge to enjoy the views of the beautiful Multnomah Falls from there. Then we decided to hike the trail, including all 11 switchbacks, all the way to the top. It was a little bit scary for me because of my fear of heights, and as you climb up the switchbacks you are on a paved trail with the mountain on one side, and a steep drop-off on the other side. There are a few places you can stop and view the falls as you climb up. When we finally reached the top, the effort had been well worth it. There is a viewpoint with a fence around it where you can look down on the top of the falls. I was surprised that I couldn't see this viewpoint from the ground, or from the Benson Bridge. It is well hidden on top of the waterfall. If you have the energy, I highly recommend walking this trail all the way to the top.

Google Maps screenshot of the two parking areas for Multnomah Falls and the falls themselves

Exit 31 will take you to a parking area for Multnomah Falls, which is great if you've already purchased a timed entry. Otherwise, I'd recommend taking exit 35 and following the Historic Columbia River Highway to another parking area, which is first-come-first-serve and is much closer to the falls.

Our view from the parking lot off of exit 31 on highway 84

This is where we were turned away because we hadn't already purchased a timed entry

view of the falls from the farther parking lot

We went back on highway 84 and took exit 35, then headed on the Historic Columbia River Highway towards the other Multnomah Falls parking area

driving on the old highway was very beautiful

The Multnomah Falls Lodge, which was under construction when we visited in June of 2026

We were lucky to get the last parking spot in the old highway parking area for the falls. We paid at this machine, $20 for as long as we wanted to stay.

view of the falls from the closer parking lot off of the old highway

We ate lunch at the lodge before going to visit the falls

my husband and I eating lunch inside the lodge

the food was delicious and the wait wasn't too long

view of the falls and the Benson Bridge

the bathroom area, since the lodge was under construction

The Benson Bridge and Multnomah Falls

view of the bridge and the falls

hiking up to the Benson Bridge

The bridge is only a .2 mile hike -- definitely don't miss out on that! Also, the 1 mile hike to the top of the falls is well worth it!

view of the Falls as we hiked to the bridge

beautiful foliage along the way

the hike to the bridge

heading onto the bridge

view of the Falls from the bridge

starting the hike up to the top

view of the falls from a viewpoint along the way

my husband and I at the viewpoint

view of the Columbia River and the highways from the falls viewpoint

looking down on the two parking areas

There are switchback signs all the way up the mile-long trail

the creek that runs into the waterfall

the falls above the falls that you can see from the ground or the bridge

the upper falls

the top of Multnomah Falls, looking down from the look-out area

view from the top of the falls

view from the top of the falls down at the parking lots

looking down from the top

My husband and I at the top of the waterfall

we started our trek down from the top

watch out for the poison oak

back to the viewpoint again

view from the trail down at the bridge

view of the falls from the trail

looking up at the top of the falls from the bridge - no sign of the overlook

view of the falls from the bridge

view down from the bridge

walking on the bridge

this is posted beside the bridge

looking down from the bridge

off the other side of the bridge, looking down

My husband took these photos of me on the bridge, from the viewpoint down below

view down from the bridge

signs on the way down from the bridge

view of the falls

last look up at the falls and the bridge

signs at the viewpoint

leaving the parking lot and heading out on the old highway

My Map my Run app showed that the distance to the top of Multnomah Falls was actually 1.25 miles

This is what the hike looked like on my Map My Run app

You can watch a video of our visit to Multnomah Falls here: Multnomah Falls

Just for fun, here is a screenshot from Twilight with Multnomah Falls in the background. Here is the scene that spotlights the falls: Multnomah Falls in Twilight

Bridal Veil Falls

After visiting Multnomah Falls, I was really excited to also see Bridal Veil Falls. I have seen the Bridal Veil Falls in Utah many, many times, and I wanted to see Oregon's version of the waterfall. Google Maps took me to the top of the waterfall, which runs under a bridge that we drove over. So I was able to see the falls from above, although it's not really a very good view. We continued on the old highway until we found the parking area for Bridal Veil Falls. Its google maps location is here: Bridal Veil Falls

Google Maps screenshot of the Bridal Veil Falls viewpoint

It costs $12 to park in the Bridal Veil Falls parking lot. The hike is short and easy down to the Bridal Veil Falls viewpoint, and is well worth the stop.

Here is a video of our visit to Bridal Veil Falls: Bridal Veil Falls Oregon

Driving on the Historic Columbia River Highway we went through a tree tunnel like the one we drove through on Kauai, Hawaii

beautiful views on the old highway

google maps brought me to this spot when I typed in "Bridal Veil Falls." It is the falls -- it's above them. This is looking down from the bridge at the falls below. Not a very good view.

This is the parking lot for the short hike down to the viewpoint

our first view of the falls from below

Bridal Veil Falls

my husband and I at the falls

the path back to the bridge and to the parking lot, but I wanted to get a little closer to the falls

As close as I dared to get to the falls

our last look at the falls

beginning the hike back

looking back at the falls

the bathrooms at the parking lot

We continued our beautiful drive on the old highway

beautiful views like this can be seen from Vista House

We thoroughly enjoyed our last day in Portland! Then we headed to the airport!

Arch Cape Arch

Quick Facts:

.29 miles one-way from the edge of the beach to the arch

Very easy

Only accessible during very low tide

Trailhead Location

I planned a trip to Portland, Oregon, and wanted to spend one of our days exploring the arches on the northern coast. The most intriguing arch along the northern coast was the arch on Arch Cape, because it is only accessible during very low tide. I studied the Oregon Northern Coast Tide Tables and chose to go in the morning in late June 2026. The tide was lowest at 6 a.m. We arrived at Arch Cape Beach at about 9 a.m.

We parked on a neighborhood street on the southern-most end of Arch Cape. Turn right off of highway 101 onto Leech Lane and park as close to the end of the street as you can. Then walk down to the beach and head south (left) towards the large rocks.

If the tide is low enough, you should be able to cross Arch Cape Creek and walk between the two large rocks on the southern-most end of the beach. You might even be able to walk the long way around the rock farthest out into the ocean, if the tide is low enough. We were able to wade around on that side, but we were also able to walk between the rocks on the sand and lava rock to stand beneath the arch.

I don't know an official name for this sea arch, so I've just called it Arch Cape Arch. You can watch a video of our visit to Arch Cape Arch here: Arch Cape Arch

The arch is located here: Arch Cape Arch

There were several other people in the area near the arch or walking along the beach at Arch Cape. It was raining and very foggy, so we couldn't see very far. Apparently there used to be other arches on the cape, but they fell nearly 100 years ago. That was how Arch Cape originally got its name.

There are not bathrooms at Arch Cape Beach. There is an inn called Arch Cape Inn that you can stay at. You can also drive through the tunnel as you continue on highway 101, which was completed in 1940 and provided a way to travel near Arch Cape along 101.

During our day along the Oregon coast we also visited Cannon Beach, Indian Beach, Twin Rocks Arch on Rockaway Beach, and Oceanside Beach and Tunnel Beach, along with the viewpoint at Cape Meares Lighthouse.

Arch Cape is next door to Hug Point, which features a sea cave and a waterfall, but when we visited in late June 2026, Hug Point Beach was closed to the public because erosion had caused damage to the infrastructure on the beach. I imagine you could access it at low tide by going around the rocks at surrounding beaches, but we didn't attempt it. I could see people walking along the beach as we drove past it, though, so others had either gone under the barriers or hiked into the beach.

Oregon Coast Highway 101

Driving along Highway 101 is very beautiful. It is not at all the experience that I've had driving the California coast. I expected to see sandy beaches, but instead I mostly saw very tall trees. It's not at all obvious that you are right beside the Pacific Ocean, because you can't see it most of the time. I don't recall ever driving through such tall trees as I did in Oregon. There are many beaches along the coast that you can stop at as you drive along Highway 101. There are a few small towns where you can stop to grab a bite to eat or purchase souvenirs. We stopped in Rockaway and ate lunch at El Trio Loco III in Rockaway Beach. We had wanted to eat at the Tillamook Creamery but it closed at 6 p.m. before we could make it back there after our adventures.

the drive from Portland to the coast, to Arch Cape

It was pretty amazing to know that we were driving right by the coast, and yet we couldn't see the ocean because of all of the tall trees surrounding the 101 highway.

Drive to Leech Lane and park along the residential road. This will put you on the southern-most part of the beach, the closest to accessing the arch

Arch Cape -- you can see Castle Rock out there in the distance

Castle Rock

You will be going between the large cliff and the rock resembling the famous Haystack Rock.

looking up north at the beach

Castle Rock out in the water

You'll have to cross the creek, which when we went wasn't very high. But we were there at very low tide.

crossing Arch Cape Creek

The water was coming fast, but was relatively shallow when we crossed it

You can see the rock that the arch is in straight ahead, between the two rocks

a cave beside Arch Cape Creek

We saw so much evidence of the fact that this area is usually under water

our first sighting of the arch opening!

the beach is covered with this lava rock

Arch Cape Arch

Don't attempt to walk barefoot through this -- that would hurt

underneath the arch

Arch Cape Arch

my husband and I under the arch

looking up at the arch opening

view behind the arch

view of the back side of the arch

the beach behind the arch - it's called Cove Beach

lots and lots of barnacles

backside of Arch Cape Arch

me at Arch Cape Arch in late June of 2026

Me inside Arch Cape Arch

The top of the arch, looking up from inside

inside the arch

the back of the arch

barnacles and sea anemones - I walked around the outside of the rock that houses the arch, wading through the rising ocean tide

close look at the sea anemones

the outside edge of the rock that houses the arch

looking out at Castle Rock in the ocean

coming back on the beach after going around the rock that houses the arch

the far end of the rock that houses the arch

Castle Rock in the distance

looking back towards the creek - the two rocks that we had walked through to get to the arch

me in front of the arch

the inside of the arch

small cave near the arch

the cave by the creek

inside the cave

back to Arch Cape Creek again

walking through the creek

Arch Cape Creek

looking back at Leech Lane where we first walked down to the beach

Leech Lane where we parked our car

We visited several other sea arches and beaches along the coast that day. We went to Indian Beach (Sea Lion Arch), Cannon Beach, Twin Rocks Arch, and Three Arch Rocks. We wanted to travel down to the Devil's Punchbowl, which is located here: Devil's Punchbowl State Natural Area, but we ran out of time and it was still a couple hours away from our southern-most stop. It'll have to wait till another trip to Oregon!

Sea Lion Arch

Quick Facts:

.55 mile hike from the entrance to the beach to the viewpoint on Bald Point: Sea Lion Arch Viewpoint

Somewhat strenuous at the end

Sea Lion Arch google maps location: Sea Lion Arch

In June 2026 we went on a trip to Portland. I planned a lot of hikes to arches, waterfalls, and beaches. I am a fan of the movie & book series Twilight, so I wanted to visit the beach that doubled as La Push Beach in the first Twilight movie. It is actually called Indian Beach and is on the northern Oregon coast, not in Washington like the movie portrays. Indian Beach is located here: Indian Beach

There is a large paved parking lot with a machine to pay for parking. We parked in the overflow lot since there were a lot of people there when we visited. We paid at the machine and then took the parking receipt back to our car to display in the windshield.

As we were walking through the parking lot towards the path to head down to the beach, I looked over at the beach and instantly spotted a large sea arch in the water! I was shocked, because I had searched online for arches to visit along the coast, and this one was not mentioned anywhere. I also couldn't believe that I had watched Twilight countless times and had never noticed the arch at "La Push Beach." But there it was! And when I went back and watched the movie after my visit to the beach, there was the arch in the movie too:

Twilight Scene at Indian Beach

Screenshot from the Twilight movie, you can see Sea Lion Arch on the far right of the screen

This movie screenshot from the parking lot area shows Sea Lion Arch in the center top

During our visit in late June of 2026, the beach was very crowded with lots of people walking or sitting, or even surfing. We walked to the southern end of the beach hoping to get a better view of the arch. Then my husband tried climbing up the rocks on the southern end of the beach. There was an obvious trail, but it was extremely steep and slippery with wet mud and loose rocks. He was able to climb up, and I stayed below and waited to see if the view was worth it. He came back to collect me, telling it was a sight not to be missed. We went through some switch-backs in the very thick vegetation instead of straight up the steepest part of the climb. I was wearing shorts, so I'm surprised I didn't end up with rashes from the vegetation that was up to my chest as we walked through it. After the vegetation ended, we had no other choice but to make our way up the slippery mud and over the remaining rocks to the top. Slowly but surely, and with my husband's help, I made it to the top. The view was definitely worth it. I was able to get some great photos of the arch, which I later learned is named Sea Lion Arch because of its resemblance to a sea lion. Incidentally, part of Goonies was filmed on Indian Beach as well, although the most notorious beach scene was shot on Cannon Beach at Haystack Rock.

The viewpoint where we took photos of and viewed the arch is located here: Sea Lion Arch Viewpoint Getting down from our viewpoint was just as complicated as getting up, although we made it without sliding down or falling. When we walked back across the beach we noticed that someone had written a line from Twilight in the sand near the southern end of the beach: "Bella, where the hell have you been, Loca?" I would guess that a lot of the popularity of this beach is due to Twilight, because the beach itself wasn't any more spectacular than any other beach we visited that day. The main difference was the very large parking lot.

The location of Sea Lion Rock

When we hiked back up to the parking lot, we found a large sign that we hadn't seen before we went down to the beach. It showed exact filming locations of the movies filmed on Indian Beach, including Twilight and Goonies, and it also had Sea Lion Arch labeled, which is how I found out the name of the arch, which up until that point I was calling "Indian Beach Arch." It had a QR code that you could scan and see exact film locations.

When we left Indian Beach, we went to Cannon Beach and admired Haystack Rock (filming site for Goonies), then on to Rockaway Beach to see Twin Rocks Arch, and finally to Oceanside Beach and Tunnel Beach to see Three Arch Rocks. We also went to the lighthouse on Cape Meares, which is the best place to view the openings of Three Arch Rocks. Earlier in the day we had gone to Arch Cape Beach and were lucky enough to arrive at a low tide so we could see Arch Cape Arch. It was a very full and very fun day. Here is a video of our visit to Sea Lion Arch: Sea Lion Arch and Indian Beach

Oregon Coast Highway 101

heading for Indian Beach on the 101 highway

It is amazing to drive along the 101 highway knowing that you are right next to the ocean, but not being able to see it because of all of the tall trees.

the large upper parking lot for Indian Beach

the lower parking lot for Indian Beach, and where some of the Twilight filming took place

We paid for parking at this pay station, and then put the receipt in our windshield. It cost $12

the pay station

This was my first view of Sea Lion Arch. Before that, I didn't even know there was an arch at Indian Beach.

view of Sea Lion Arch from the parking lot above the beach

walking down to the beach

coming out onto the beach, once again spotting Sea Lion Arch

The beach was pretty crowded

There's a small creek to cross on Indian Beach

looking over at the northern end of Indian Beach

Sea Lion Arch

looking towards the southern end of Indian Beach

On the far left of this photo is another large rock that has an arch under it

This is the Twilight filming spot: La Push Beach in Twilight

The arch under this large rock

close-up of the arch under the nearby rock

I used my zoom lens to take some close-up photos of the arch

the arch opening

You can see the birds resting on the rock

The arch under the nearby large rock is very visible in this photo with my zoom lens

view down at Crescent Beach from Bald Point

Crescent Beach

looking down from Bald Point

the trail up on Bald Point

This is what we climbed up to get up onto Bald Point

We took the "switchback" instead of the direct way to the top - on the left you can see the vague trail through the brush

getting down was tricky, but we made it without falling

someone had written in the sand at the Twilight filming spot on the beach

The Twilight filming spot from behind

stepping into the ocean for a minute

the Tillamook Lighthouse off in the distance

The small creek on Indian Beach

heading back up from the beach

the stairs back up to the parking lot

There is a billboard at the top of the trail with information about filming on Indian Beach

this QR code took me to an app of various movie filming locations

The stats from my Map My Run app

from the beach up to Bald Point

Cannon Beach

Next door to Indian Beach is Cannon Beach, so we decided to go visit Cannon Beach as well. The famous Haystack Rock is at Cannon Beach. Cannon Beach was one of the filming sites of Goonies. Cannon Beach is located here: Cannon Beach Google Maps Location

We had a really hard time finding parking at Cannon Beach, but when we finally did find a spot to park, it had this easy access staircase down to the beach

we walked through this little tree tunnel

and then on this grass path onto the beach

our view when we came through the grass

there's Haystack Rock on the beach.

looking back up at where we came down to the beach

Here is the scene from Goonies at Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach: Goonies Opening Scene

Haystack Rock

My husband and I at Cannon Beach

heading back up to our parking spot

through the tree tunnel

and up the stairs

Willamette Valley Oregon Temple

In June of 2026 we flew to Portland to attend the Portland Oregon temple. I discovered that the Willamette Valley Temple was only an hour and a half drive from Portland, so we planned to attend the Willamette temple as well.

The temple is located at 300 International Way in Springfield, Oregon, just off of I5. Its google maps location is here: Willamette Valley Oregon Temple

The temple was dedicated on June 7th, and we attended the temple in June 27th, only 20 days after it was dedicated. It was very busy and it was fun to see everyone's excitement to have a temple in their midst.

On the exterior of the temple, near the top is an etching of a flower called the mountain laurel. I loved all of the beautiful stained glass in the temple, as well as the beautiful grounds. There is a beautiful painting of Esther in the women's dressing room, and also a painting of a stripling warrior's mother placing a helmet on his head in one of the hallways. Echoed throughout the stained glass in the temple is a pink flower that wasn't native to the area but was brought by pioneers.

There are 2 endowment rooms in the temple. The Celestial Room is about the same size as the celestial room in the Casper, Wyoming Temple, which is a much smaller temple than Willamette. We went to see the baptistry as well, and it is bigger than the Celestial Room.

There is a distribution center on site. If Portland has heavy traffic, the time to reach the temple is closer to 2 hours. There are a lot of places to eat nearby, including Victorico's Tacos, Ihop, 5 Guys, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Outback Steakhouse, Chick Fil A, Bao Bao House, Cafe Yumm, Jimmy Johns, Dennys, Panda Express, & Lucky Buffet. There is a Hilton Garden Inn right by temple if you're looking for a place to stay near the temple.

Here is a video of our visit to the temple in June of 2026: Willamette Valley Oregon Temple

heading from Portland to Willamette Valley, Oregon

our first sight of the Willamette Valley Temple

My husband and I at the temple in June of 2026

The small distribution center on site

My 76th temple

Twin Rocks Arch

In June of 2026 we went on a trip to Portland, Oregon and planned to visit as many arches, waterfalls, beaches, and other beautiful sites as possible. One of the arches that I had marked was Twin Rocks Arch, which is located at Rockaway Beach. The Rockaway Beach street signs feature the arch. It appears to be the small town's main claim to fame. You can watch a video of our visit to Twin Rocks Arch here: Twin Rocks Arch

Twin Rocks Arch is located here: Twin Rocks Arch

We parked near the Twin Rocks Motel and walked down to the beach on a small trail. We could immediately see the Twin Rocks Arch, although we had to walk to the northern-most part of the shore before we got a really good look at the opening in the arch. I'd recommend putting Diamond Beach in your GPS and then you can start out on the northern end with a great view of the arch. We enjoyed walking along the sand on this crowded beach, and even poking our feet in the very cold water as the waves rushed onto the shore. Lots of people were sitting on the beach, but no one was swimming. Even in June the water was too cold for that.

We were lucky enough to be in Rockaway, Oregon when the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad rode into town. Their official website is here: Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad Scenic rides go along the Tillamook Coasts and begin in both Rockaway and Garibaldi. It is a 90 minute round-trip ride and costs about $36 per person including fees. It is a 30 minute ride in each direction with a 30 minute layover in between. If we'd had more time we would have hopped on and taken a beautiful coastal ride on a train. We ate lunch at El Trio Loco III on Highway 101 and then continued on our drive to Three Arch Rocks further south. Earlier in the day we had visited Arch Cape Beach to see Arch Cape Arch and then on to Indian Beach to see Sea Lion Arch, followed by Cannon Beach and finally to Twin Rocks Arch in Rockaway. Three Arch Rocks was our final destination of the day, although we viewed it from three different locations -- Oceanside Beach, Tunnel Beach, and the lighthouse at Cape Meares. It was a very fun and very full day!