The waterfall itself doesn’t look any different these days, but the experience of visiting Multnomah Falls has certainly changed.
Nearly five months after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, the scenic attraction in the Columbia River Gorge reopened to the public Tuesday, with crowd limits, a face mask requirement, and several new public health precautions in place.
Crowds were sparse on the first two days of reopening. Wednesday morning, under drizzling gray clouds, only a few dozen people stopped by the waterfall viewpoint and perused the gift shop. It was the same scene Tuesday, with few people showing up following a news conference announcing the reopening, officials said.
That’s expected to change over the weekend and throughout the summer, as warm weather returns and locals return to the Columbia River Gorge to visit other recently reopened areas, including the Historic Columbia River Highway, the Angel’s Rest trail and the Sandy River Delta park, all of which also opened Tuesday.
Stan Hinatsu, recreation manager for the U.S. Forest Service in the Columbia Gorge, said crowds returning to Multnomah Falls will need to prepare themselves for changes in the visiting experience.
“I think the big thing is that visitors need to know is that it will be different,” Hinatsu said. “It’s not going to be the Multnomah Falls pre-pandemic.”
Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The biggest change will be the number of people allowed in. Only 300 people will be permitted to visit the waterfall at any given time, a number monitored by employees at an entrance welcome station. On Aug. 27, the U.S. Forest Service started requiring online reservations that cost $1 a person and need to be made at least a day in advance, limiting crowds to 300 people an hour.
On busy summer days in years past, crowds have numbered between 1,500 and 2,000 people at a time, Hinatsu said.
If that kind of demand remains, the forest service worries that the parking lot off Interstate 84 could become overcrowded quickly, with long lines forming as people wait for space to open up at the falls. Additional parking along the Historic Columbia River Highway will be closed for the time being.
The other changes at Multnomah Falls will be familiar to people who have visited other reopened attractions around Oregon or even shopped at grocery stores during the pandemic.
Face masks are now required for all visitors, as well as six feet of social distancing from people outside your household. One-way paths marked with arrows now separate crowds, cordoned off by ropes strung throughout the park. Hand sanitizer is available in dispensers placed around the area.
Green dots spaced six feet apart are painted onto the ground at the waterfall viewpoint, where people can pose for pictures before taking the one-way path back to the snack bar and reopened gift shop that now sells Multnomah Falls branded face masks among its souvenirs.
The restaurants at Multnomah Falls Lodge remain closed, as does the Benson Bridge viewpoint and the trail that leads to the top of the waterfall.
Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Visitors on Wednesday morning all appeared to abide by the new rules, though as people gathered at the viewpoint, many took off or pulled down their face masks to pose for pictures in front of the waterfall. That’s a behavior forest officials want to discourage as crowds return.
“We would prefer people keeping their mask on,” Hinatsu said. “Maybe we’re being overly cautious, but I think maybe that’s how we need to approach this right now.”
Staff members are now placed throughout the park to remind visitors of the rules, and to help them find their way along snaking paths marked by arrows and signs. It can be a little confusing to navigate at times, and like so much else amid the pandemic, a little adaptation may be necessary.
With the reservation system on the horizon, expected to be implemented within the next two or three weeks, more changes are soon to come at Multnomah Falls. Officials have said their crowd limits remain flexible, and could go up or down depending on how things go on the first few busy weekends.
Hinatsu said the trick is in balancing public health and public access, allowing people to return to a cherished natural attraction while preventing the spread of COVID-19. For now, officials are taking a wait-and-see approach with the new measures already in place.
“When we have a busy day that will be a good test,” Hinatsu said. “It will give us a sense of how much we can actually handle in a safe manner.”
--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB
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