Your favorite restaurant in Portland might not take reservations, but this summer Multnomah Falls will require them of most visitors.
The U.S. Forest Service announced Friday that in an effort to curb crowds that tend to swarm Oregon’s tallest waterfall this time of year, visitors will once again need to make advance reservations to visit the Columbia River Gorge attraction starting July 20.
The agency did not say how long the reservation system will be in place.
There will be 500 tickets available for each one-hour time slot between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Tickets are not required before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m., and anyone who arrives via mass transit (like the Columbia Gorge Express bus) will not need to make a reservation, the forest service said.
Timed-entry tickets are available online at Recreation.gov and can be made up to two weeks in advance. Tickets are technically free, though the website charges a $1 reservation fee per ticket.
The forest service warned that while a ticket guarantees access to Multnomah Falls, it does not necessarily guarantee a parking spot.
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
Forest officials first implemented the reservation system last summer, promoting it as a way to reduce crowding during the coronavirus pandemic. Forest officials later admitted the idea was originally hatched before the pandemic as a way to cut down on congestion at the waterfall.
Reservations were quietly phased out last fall as summer crowds dwindled, but now they’re back as officials try to manage the swelling number of visitors. On busy summer days in years past, crowds have numbered between 1,500 and 2,000 people at a time, according to the forest service.
Officials in the Columbia River Gorge have taken several actions in recent years to try to curb the crowds, including shutting down the main parking lot when it gets full and encouraging the use of mass transit to limit the number of cars.
“We are in alignment with our partners in our quest to ensure safe access to Multnomah Falls,” Donna Mickley, forest supervisor, said in a news release Friday. “This reservation system, coupled with multiple transit options, is a tool we are using to enhance access, reduce congestion and mitigate the associated safety issues at this iconic location.”
--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB