BRIDAL VEIL, Ore. — On a busy summer day, Multnomah Falls sees as many as 1,500 - 2,000 visitors. Meanwhile, there are about 50 parking spaces right outside the Multnomah Falls Lodge, and the parking lot along I-84 can hold 184 cars.
Both lots get overwhelmed.
“It's just really caused a lot of congestion and safety issues related to that congestion,” says Stan Hinatsu of the U.S. Forest Service.
In an effort to ease the strain on the lots, the Forest Service announced Friday that visitors will need to make advance reservations starting July 20.
There will be a total of 600 tickets available for each one-hour time slot between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Tickets are available at Recreation.gov and can be reserved up to two weeks in advance.
The tickets are free, but there is a $1 reservation fee for each ticket. If you ride a shuttle to Multnomah Falls, you don't have to have a ticket.
“The idea behind the ticket system is really to minimize, to reduce the congestion, thereby reducing the safety issues as a result,” Hinatsu said.
The Forest Service warns that while a ticket gets you into Multnomah Falls, it still does not guarantee a parking space.
Last summer the Forest Service used a reservation system to reduce crowding during the pandemic. That program was phased out a short time later.
Several years ago ODOT installed a gate at the I-84 parking lot that is still there. It closes when the lot is full.
Officials also encourage visitors to not drive to the falls at all and use shuttle services like the Columbia Gorge Express instead.