Punchbowl Falls

Punchbowl Falls is located near the town of Dee in the Hood River Valley. From Hood River, follow Highway 35 south for 7 miles, then turn east on Highway 231 and proceed 9 miles to the small town of Dee. Turn right onto Punchbowl Road, staying straight where the road splits to veer hard to the left. About a mile and a half from Dee, the road crosses the West Fork of the Hood. Shortly before the bridge is a gated gravel road at a large pullout. Park and follow the road for about 1/5 of a mile then make your way to the canyon rim for views of the falls.Punchbowl Falls is a small waterfall along the West Fork of the Hood River where the stream squeezes between impressive basalt cliffs and boils into a large pool. The falls are bypassed by a fish ladder, which appears to partially flank the falling water such to subtly change its direction on one side. The falls are not overly impressive at all, but they are more substantial than pictures make it out to be. The location is worth visiting to see the canyon, the columnar basalt formations and nearby Dead Point Creek Falls, but Punchbowl itself is probably only attractive to dedicated waterfall hunters.