We drove out to the Columbia River Gorge (North East of Portland), which is about 45 min to an hour for us. It was SO worth it. There are so many more hikes/view points we want to explore in the Gorge. On our drive in to Portland (when we moved here earlier this summer) we drove all the way through the Gorge and it was ABSOLUTELY BREATH TAKING. It was hard to drive, because we just wanted to both look out our car windows to the right at the amazing river and cliffs and trees and beautiful blue water and huge rocks in the river, etc..  Hopefully we can make a camping trip near some of the spots we saw!

Here’s our first hike in the Gorge… It was a pretty decent hike. Not super kid friendly, so it’s suggested to wear kiddos or make sure they’re old enough to obey and not run off the side of the cliff(s).  Props to my hubby who wore Brady in the hiking pack the whole time and hiked 4 miles on an injured knee. There’s a lot of rocky terrain so having hiking boots was much appreciated. I didn’t understand some of the people we saw hiking in sandals (not even Chacos or Keens or something you’d assume)! I even saw one girl in a long skirt (whaaaat)?  I guess I’m all about comfort and functionality, but c’mon.  Anyway, it was a beautiful hike. Note: There are NO bathrooms at the trailhead or anywhere (that I found outside of nature) along the trail.  It’s also suggested to arrive early (before 10 am), otherwise parking is difficult (not a large lot), but thankfully we were blessed with a spot right next to the trail head entrance! Oh, and bring $5 cash to park.  It was about 4 miles round trip and part shade part sun. We packed a lunch and ate a picnic at the falls (halfway point during round trip).  It was absolutely beautiful. The beginning of the hike is along Eagle Creek and provides amazing views/sounds of the creek, and then about halfway to the falls it gets quieter as you gain elevation and also has more amazing views. There are two “falls” when you arrive at Punchbowl Falls – I was a bit confused at first, but then  we kept walking and realized around the bend was the actual Punchbowl Falls. We couldn’t get that close to it, because it required swimming in the BONE CHILLING FREEZING COLD water. Some folks braved it, but we definitely did not. I got knee-high in the water and that was all I could handle for the day!  Oh, and some chipmunks joined our picnic!

Here’s a little video I made (I’m no pro, but I enjoy making these!):

INSTAGRAM: