Latourell Falls plunges 249 feet over columnar basalt cliffs. Latourell is a very beautiful and accessible waterfall, and, as a result, it's one of the most popular sights in the Columbia River Gorge.
One spring day in 2009 I happened to arrive at the falls in the perfect conditions to get this photo. The sky was mostly overcast, but there was a little weak light coming through from the far right that barely illuminated the emerging bigleaf maple leaves and flowers on the top left corner of the photo. That effect perfectly balanced the huge patch of yellow lichen on the cliff face on the right side of the waterfall.
Notice how the shapes of the leaves and the lichen echo and balance each other, too.
Directions: Latourell Falls is the westernmost major waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge. From downtown Portland, travel east on I-84 20 miles to Exit 22. Drive 1.6 miles uphill to Corbett. Turn left on Highway 30, the Historic Columbia River Highway and drive east 5.1 miles. Just after crossing a long, narrow bridge, the parking lot is on the right and is well-marked with a sign.
Either walk up the short steep path near the west end of the parking lot for an elevated vista of the falls, or follow a paved trail from the west end of the lot near the highway bridge which leads to the base of the falls.
