Multnomah Falls Tours and Tickets

No, you don’t need tickets to visit Multnomah Falls. However, if you’re visiting during the peak season—which lasts from May through early September—and are driving your own vehicle there, you’ll need to pre-buy a timed entry permit, which is available up to 14 days in advance.

No, there’s no admission fee for Multnomah Falls or the trails surrounding it. You’ll need a timed-entry vehicle permit during high season, which runs from late May until the beginning of September, but If you visit as part of a tour or come by bus or shuttle, you won’t need to pay anything extra.

You can reserve a timed use permit for Multnomah Falls on recreation.gov up to 14 days in advance. There are two permit types: One is just for Multnomah Falls, while the other covers both Multnomah Falls and the surrounding Waterfall Corridor, which extends along Highway 30 from Bridal Veil Falls to Ainsworth State Park.

You can stop at Multnomah Falls for as little as 10 minutes, but most people spend up to an hour there, to visit the lodge and walk over the footbridge. You can also hike to the top of the falls, which takes around 90 minutes to complete the loop.

The best time to visit Multnomah Falls is in the springtime, when water levels are at their highest and the surge is most powerful. Summer is also popular, as the weather in the Columbia Gorge is usually pleasant, but water levels are lower and there are generally more crowds.

If the Multnomah Falls parking lots are full—which they often are—you’ll need to either wait for a space to become available or take a hop-on, hop-off shuttle. As Multnomah Falls has limited parking facilities, you might want to consider leaving your car at home and taking a tour.