REVEALING WHAT LIES BEHIND THE SHROUD OF BRIDAL VEIL FALLS

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The Bridal Veil reveiled.

Bridal Veil Falls is one of the more dramatic waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge. The falls was once the site of local industry, but now restored to natural magic. Walking to the falls is short and is an easy add-on to a more extensive day. Or, it is easy to just sit and watch the waters deep inside the forested canyon of Bridal Veil Creek.

Starting out with the Northwest Waterfall Survey rating of 72.26, one can tell Bridal Veil Falls is considered something special. Two things come to mind making the waterfall special. First, is how close to the Columbia River the falls are – only some twenty vertical feet above the river. The falls is the only waterfall to drop on the river side of the old US 30 highway – below the highway.

Google view of the Gorge near Bridal Veil Falls with a look at the creek’s watershed region.

Second, Bridal Veil Creek includes a much larger watershed than most of the other Columbia Gorge waterfalls. Located just west of Wahkeena basin and Coopey Creek on the west side of Angels Rest, the watershed runs from sources near the top of Larch Mountain, the creek draws water from much of the northwestern side of the old shield volcano. The larger watershed makes for a better late summer display, though like all Gorge falls, winter and spring is most impressive.

HISTORY AMIDST THE FOREST

There used to be a little town here with a small sawmill. You could see a glimpse of the falls from the freeway when I was a wee lad many years ago from the freeway flying by. Those days are gone. First, was the mill closure in 1960. The little town drifted away then with the whole site purchased by the Trust for Public Lands in 1991. Moves to try and save some of the buildings as historic were denied. Last of the mill buildings were knocked down in 2001 and the little church in 2011. The lands were purchased by the US Forest Service in the upper canyon and the Oregon State Parks around the main waterfall below. Big leaf maples have returned the site to nature.

The pipe served as an inlet for water for the mill at Bridal Veil. Water would go into a holding basin for the mill.

THE MILL

In the 1880’s, there was a little paper mill here. Later, the Bridal Veil Lumbering Company took up shop here. They built a planing mill just to the east of the falls where rough-cut lumber was finished into useable lumber. A small company town also accompanied the mill. Much higher up the watershed towards Larch Mountain at the 1,500-foot level was where the company-built Palmer Mill. Here, logs were rough cut into boards and then sent down the creek by way of a flume to the planing mill. The flume bypass waterfalls, crossing the creek several times on its way down to the mill. Over a million feet of lumber came down the flume over the years before the operation closed down due to a fire in 1937.

Rail trestle at the old logging camp at Palmer Mill.

Log pond at the old Palmer Mill log pond above the upper falls.

Monument to the “Pioneers of Bridal Veil” next to the picnic area of the Guy Talbot State Park below Latourell Falls – Latourell, Palmer and Brower. The latter two men were involved in the logging industry in the Bridal Veil Creek watershed and Larch Mountain.

The Bridal Veil Lumber & Box Company took over what remained after the fire. They turned out boxes for Kraft Cheese and ammunition boxes for WWII. This was the company closing the door in 1960 on Bridal Veil.

Old log flume ready for logs to ship down Bridal Veil Creek.

Today, the scene has returned to nature. You have to know the history and look closely to find the industrial side to Bridal Veil.

BRIDAL VEIL FALLS

The whole picture at Bridal Veil Falls – upper and lower tiers, the large basalt dropped in an earlier slide and note the highway bridge above the upper tier. The bridge dates to 1914. Ford the creek and there is a seriously steep bushwack path up the other side to view the pool between the two drops.
Pedestrian bridge crossing Bridal Veil Creek. The falls are only a short way upstream from here. The mill was downstream.

A trail makes on big switchback to descend from the parking area – restroom there – into the Bridal Veil canyon. After a series of concrete steps, you come to a pretty bridge. On the other side, turn right and a short distance beyond find a viewing platform to observe the 118 foot high falls dropping in two horsetails rated at a strong 72.23 by the Waterfall Survey.

Bridal Veil from the falls to the pedestrian bridge below.

Primeval scene today overlaying the industrial past some sixty years ago.

Ollie smiles at getting to see another waterfall in Waterfall Alley.
Bridal Veil Falls – both tiers seen from the top of the creekside basalt.
Bridal Veil Falls in action from atop the basalt block in front of the falls.

A huge basaltic boulder fronts the creek below the viewing stand. Like many other waterfalls here in the Gorge, the boulder represents the everchanging nature here. A couple of quick moves can take you to the top, though your corgi will not be able to follow.

OLD MILL RUINS

Outlet tube used to dump water into the mill’s retaining pond. The pond can still be made out though vegetation makes it hard unless you know the history.
Wooden ruins of a building that used to be in the middle of the Bridal Veil mill’s retaining pond.

Returning to the bridge, you can continue straight to see the little left behind by the mills. There is a concrete dike along the creek edge which used to separate a water holding basin from the creek. You can still see the metal tube which fill the retaining pool. When the mill was there, the creek would run almost dry with most of the water diverted into the mill.

BrIDAL VEIL LODGE

Bridal Veil Lodge is right on US 30 across from the parking lot for the Bridal Veil Falls path.

Returning to the parking area, notice the historic Bridal Veil Lodge, a B & B opened in 1927. One of several such lodges built along the Old Historic US 30 route in the Gorge – Multnomah Falls Lodge is another example.

THE POST OFFICE

The only building remaining of the mill is a little post office occupying a former tool shed near the freeway doing a big business in franking envelopes with their trademark for wedding invitations.

Former tool shed for the wood mill at Bridal Veil survives under a different guise.
Customer at the Bridal Veil Post Office.

UPPER BRIDAL VEIL FALLS

Upper Bridal Veil Falls with the creek rambling beyond.

To up the magic meter even more, try a visit to the Upper Bridal Veil Falls, the uppermost waterfall on Bridal Veil Creek. The Survey only gives the falls a rating of 53.19. It is a plunging falls dropping 80 feet with an expanse of 40-50 feet. If you go to all the trouble of accessing this waterfall, you will give it a higher rating. Or maybe, you should get the higher rating. There are proposals for a loop trail to come up from the main falls area on US 30 to the Upper and Middle Falls, but those are just proposals for now.

ROAD ACCESS

To get here, drive up – south – on the Palmer Mill Road from the vast parking lot for the Angels Rest trail along US 30 just off I-84 at the Bridal Veil exit. Coming from the freeway, turn right and Palmer Road is very soon to the left. Palmer Mill Road is a steep rocky road, one lane with turnouts. The road used to lead up to the mill above.

Former log flume on the west side of Upper Bridal Veil Falls – better idea of scale shown by the man at the bottom of the falls

Drive up the road for just about one mile. You pass a big white culvert on a little tributary creek of Bridal Veil. Park in the next turnout – get your car completely out of the roadway. Look for a boot path going off and down into the canyon on the right.

ADVENTURE ON FOOT

The first part of the “path” down to Upper Bridal Veil Falls starts out innocently enough through the vegetation. Enough people have come this way to make the way fairly obvious.
It does not take long for the “path” to get a little more serious. The pictures do not do justice to the steepness.

The boot path quickly becomes a scramble path – class 3. You will drop a few hundred feet grabbing roots, rocks and ferns going both down and up. This is a straight ahead affair with no switchbacks to ease the way.

Ferns and tree branches provide hand holds as the “path” moves straight down into the canyon.
Downed logs also provide something to hold onto along the way. Note the trees, while seeming ancient, are of recent growth. Most of the canyon and the area has been logged over at least once.

Coming out on the creek below, walk upstream carefully over wet rocks to the magic of the waterfall. This is not a waterfall many get to, so you might have it to yourself. A flume used to run down the west-side of the canyon, but no evidence remains.

Finally, the creek is reached. Move upstream for more views.
Upper Bridal Veil Falls in action.
Magnificent Upper Bridal Veil Falls seen by few today. No sign of the former log flume on the right.
Upper Bridal Veil Falls is one even amateur photographers can do a little justice with.
Upper Bridal Veil Falls framed naturally.

Simply enjoy the setting. You earned it on the steep down climb. No rush to go back up.

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