Upper McCord Creek Falls is located at Columbia Gorge in Oregon. The trail head to this waterfall is about an hour away from Portland. We took I84 and headed East and got off the highway at exit 35 and go onto Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. Then just keep going East to the end of the road and we reached the trail head. The trail to Upper McCord Creek Falls is only about 1.1 miles and it is quite easy. The trail is usually not very packed but make sure to have NW Forest Pass with you.
This trail head is also the trail head for 2 other trails including Elowah Falls and Nesmith Trail. Nesmith is a difficulty and challenging trail. Only people who are fit should take Nesmith trail. Nesmith trail has huge elevation gain. Elowah Falls is a short trial as well, but when we got to the trail today, we found that part of Elowah Falls trail have been washed off. Thus the trail to Elowah Falls is temporarily closed for hikers and we went for Upper MCCord Creek Falls instead.
While hiking along the trail to Upper McCord Creek Falls, we saw a lot of tree falling off and we had to go under the trees. There were at least 2 trees that fell off and blocking part of the trail. Some parts of the trail are also very slippery due to the rain. At around 80% of the trail, the trail goes around the rocky cliff side. The good thing is that there are metal bars on the side to prevent people from falling off. The ground is muddy and wet however, and the top of the cliff is constantly dripping water, so we walked a bit slow on this part of the trail. This is a very interesting experience and it gives an amazing view of Columbia Gorge.
When we came down the trail, we also saw 2 lovely dogs! One is a Bernese Mountain Dog and the other one is a Labrador Retriever. These are the 2 of my favorite dog breeds! They seem very excited to go up and see the waterfall! Just remember to put leash on the dog since it is required for this trail. Although your dog may be friendly to people, some people are afraid of dogs and could lead to unintended injuries on this trail since some part of this trail is quite narrow.
Upper McCord Creek Falls is however one of the best trail that we have been to. It is a short trail, takes you around the cliff side, goes under the tree, and leads you to an amazing waterfall. We highly recommend people to take this trail for the fun during the weekend.
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