This basalt fieldstone fireplace is all that remains of Multnomah Lodge which was built alongside the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway directly below Mist Falls in 1916. The chimney has withstood 91 years of weather quite well and it has not suffered excessively from vandalism.
Multnomah Lodge was one of many roadhouses and inns that were built along the Scenic Highway in its first years. Most of them are gone, victims of fire or decay.
Like many other historic sites along the Scenic Highway, Multnomah Lodge is not marked or commemorated in any way. There is a memorial plaque at the site dedicated to Rose Lenske for donating a five acre tract to the public.
Multnomah Falls Lodge, built in 1925 on a larger and grander scale, is often mistakenly called Multnomah Lodge. Multnomah Falls Lodge is located less than a mile east of the site of Multnomah Lodge.
Little-known Mist Falls is located 1/4 mile west of Wahkeena Falls. Falling over 400 feet, Mist is the second highest waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge after 625 foot Multnomah Falls. Mist Falls is best seen from the freeway. Watch for it just west of Multnomah Falls above the Benson Lake State Park exit off I-84.
Ash Creek Images
Photographs of the West by Doug Gorsline
The Ruins of the Original Multnomah Lodge at Mist Falls in the Columbia Gorge.
