Perdition Trail Add-On Hike
From Portland Hikers Field Guide
| This page is marked as a Closed Trail. Some or all of this hike has been closed by a governing body and hikers may be liable for fines or even arrest. The trail may be dangerous and hard to follow or it may cross areas with sensitive plant life or wildlife habitat. PortlandHikers.com does not endorse or recommend hiking this route. The information is presented for historical and possible future use only.
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Stairs are common on the Perdition Trail. These are made of used railroad ties.
Hike Description
At one time, the Perdition Trail was part of the classic Multnomah Falls hiking experience. The Forest Service has since closed the trail due to unsafe conditions. Since we can't really list a closed trail as part of a hike, we're listing here as sort of a virtual hike, for historical purposes.
On the Larch Mountain Trail, just passed the side trail to the top of the falls, you'll find the Second Multnomah Creek Bridge. Just south of that is a junction with the Perdition Trail #421. The Perdition Trail traverses along the edge of Multnomah Creek. As the creek drops, the level trail gets higher above the creek. At Multnomah Falls, the trail veers west, now high above the Columbia River. In about 1/2 mile, there's a short side trail to a viewpoint of Multnomah Falls. In another 1/2 mile, the trail comes to the top of Perdition Stairs. The earlier wooden stairs burned in a 1991 forest fire. The forest service replaced the wooden stairs with several flights of cement stairs. Unfortunately in 1996, a slide swept through the area, taking the stairs with it. Today, the stairs are unsafe and a cliffside piece of trail beneath the stairs is missing altogether. Any hikers venturing here should return the way they came.
Maps
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Legally closed to all hiking
Trip Reports
Related Discussions / Q&A
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- 35 Hiking Trails, Columbia River Gorge, by Don & Roberta Lowe
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