Umbrella Falls

Umbrella Falls is found near Mount Hood Meadows Ski area off Highway 35 near Bennett Pass. Take Highway 26 east from Gresham to the junction of Highways 26 and 35, 2 1/4 miles east of Government Camp. Follow Highway 35 for 6 1/2 miles and turn off at the signed entrance to Mount Hood Meadows. Head uphill towards the ski area and after a mile and a half watch carefully for the trail on the right side of the road (the sign may or may not be standing). The easily graded trail leads through meadows to a bridge at the base of the falls in 1/4 mile.Umbrella Falls is a surprisingly significant waterfall found near the headwaters of the East Fork of the Hood River. After being diverted around one of the huge parking lots for the Mount Hood Meadows Ski area, the river veils 59 feet over a rough wall of reddish bedrock amid a forested meadow glade, a striking contrast to the sea of pavement just upstream. Because Umbrella Falls is located high in the drainage of the East Fork of the Hood River, the falls exhibit a significant variance in flow as the season progresses. Snow will linger in the basin well into July, but by September the amount of water flowing over the falls is greatly reduced - though the result is no less picturesque.