Shepperds Dell Waterfall - Columbia River Gorge Roadside Stop

About Shepperd’s Dell Waterfall

Rating: 1.5

Difficulty: 1

Hiking Distance: roadside

Suggested Time:

Date first visited: 2009-03-28

Date last visited: 2021-04-06

Waterfall Latitude: 45.54625

Waterfall Longitude: -122.19751

Directions: Get to the waterfall

Vicinity: Find nearby waterfalls

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The Shepperds Dell Waterfall (or Shepperd’s Dell Falls) probably would have escaped our attention if it wasn’t for the signposted bridge and attractively rugged gorge right below it.

For if we were merely driving along the Historic Columbia River Highway, I doubt we could’ve noticed the falls since it fell mostly unseen within the narrow Shepperd’s Dell Gorge.

Shepperds_Dell_017_04062021 - The Shepperds Dell Waterfall — The Shepperds Dell Waterfall

Fortunately, once we were at the right stop (thanks to the sign), we walked to the edge of the neighboring bridge and looked down into the gorge to get the view that you see in the photograph above.

It seemed like a rather obscure waterfall, but I’d imagine it would probably get more love if it wasn’t in such a waterfall-heavy place like the Columbia River Gorge.

There was also a slick walking path (as a result of a combination of both waterfall mist and rain) that would take us to the bank of the creek, but we didn’t go down there.

While it was possible to walk it on my first visit here in late March 2009, it was closed on my second visit here in early April 2021.

Shepperds_Dell_010_04062021 - Full context of the Shepperds Dell Waterfall, including a plunging upper tier partially concealed by the foliage in the topright of this picture as seen in early April 2021 — Full context of the Shepperds Dell Waterfall, including a plunging upper tier partially concealed by the foliage in the topright of this picture as seen in early April 2021

Thus, for all intents and purposes, we pretty much treated the Shepperds Dell Waterfall as nothing more than a quick roadside stop.

Authorities

The Shepperds Dell Waterfall resides in the Shepperd’s Dell State Park, which is within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Portland in Multnomah County, Oregon. It is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Route to this Waterfall

Look for the Shepperd’s Dell along the Historic Columbia River Hwy between the Bridal Veil Scenic Area (1 mile further to the east) and Latourell Falls (2 miles to the west).

The nearest exit off the I-84 is exit 28 (Bridal Veil exit), which itself is 26 miles (30 minutes drive) east of Portland.

Shepperds_Dell_024_04062021 - Context of the pullouts on the west side of the bridge over the Shepperd's Dell — Context of the pullouts on the west side of the bridge over the Shepperd’s Dell

For geographical context, Portland was about 49 miles (over an hour drive) west of Cascade Locks, 75 miles (90 minutes drive) west of Hood River, 80 miles (1.5 hours drive) east of Cannon Beach, 112 miles (under 2 hours drive) north of Eugene, 274 miles (over 4 hours drive) north of Medford, 173 miles (about 2.5 hours drive) south of Seattle, Washington, 440 miles (7 hours drive) west of Boise, Idaho, and 423 miles (6.5 hours drive) north of Redding, California.