I just can't stop with the punny topic titles. It would have been even better if I had posted this on good friday. Topic title will make sense later (below).
A tourist's first Oooo and Ahhh when heading into the gorge will likely be the waterfall just east of Crown Point. It's not the best in the gorge, not by a long shot, but it's high and next to the freeway and close to a major landmark, so you'd think more would be known about it. I haven't found any info, and the creek doesn't even appear on maps. Maybe it's seasonal.
Looking at the GE image below, it appears one could possibly drop from Vista House to the top of the falls, explore up the canyon to the area where it looks like there must be a higher fall, then maybe back down to the lip and back up the opposite half of this horseshoe-shaped bowl. But of course aerial photos hide steepness, and the creek is fringed with heavy brush, which is also scattered randomly on the slopes. And the brush is thorny. So yeah, not a great combination. I'm still picking thorns out of my...well, everything.
Okay, so it was disappointing, but not a total waste of time. It's not something I recommend, but as a quick side trip on the way home from another hike, it was moderately satisfying.
Equipment carried: treking pole, ice axe, 40' rope.
Crown of Thorns (Crown Point Falls)
Crown of Thorns (Crown Point Falls)
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- This pic frustrates me, because I can't quite reconcile it with memory and other pics. Might have to revisit, just to convince myself everything fits together the way I think it does. It's possible there's a tier I overlooked when poking around on the west side, because it wasn't visible.
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- Yellow "x" marks my turnaround point. If you want to get lower, you'll have to want it a lot more than I did.
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- Couldn't easily get far enough back to capture it all. Not really very dramatic though.
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- See that white spot at lower left? Golf ball. More on that later.
Re: Crown of Thorns (Crown Point Falls)
I see I have to type text here before my post will go through.
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- Does the Coors seem out of character for me? It was just there, so I used it. To the upper right is a ridgecrest that looks scary sharp, but I had to find out if a sane person (or, in my case, a cowardly person) could walk it.
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- Looks safe enough. And the shade was welcome on this 80 degree day.
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- A little closer, still comfortable.
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- I didn't go out there.
Re: Crown of Thorns (Crown Point Falls)
Some interesting stuff I found.
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- Two of these a few feet apart. Surprised to see them. Tied in so I could lean out and get a better look over the edge.
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- There were two of these, a few feet apart. An old belay anchor?
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- I wasn't surprised to see this, but I did think it was odd that there was another, maybe 10 feet away, nearly identical.
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- Tough shot to get (hard to reach). I couldn't quite compose it the way I wanted. Still, pretty cool.
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- When I found a golf tee at the top, near Vista House, I wondered how many balls were below. I was shocked to find a couple.
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- Hey you kids, stop that, whatever it is you're doing. And get off my lawn.
Re: Crown of Thorns (Crown Point Falls)
There is a reason some places are closed... In this case, because of multiple traumatic deaths..Re: Crown of Thorns (Crown Point Falls)
One of my pic comments above says "This pic frustrates me, because I can't quite reconcile it with memory and other pics. Might have to revisit, just to convince myself everything fits together the way I think it does. It's possible there's a tier I overlooked when poking around on the west side, because it wasn't visible."
I feel better now. Although I had a hard time finding a good pic from the north, today I found one by accident when searching for info on the Crown Point water tanks (interesting, but kinda outside the scope of a hiking board, so I didn't post pics)" Now it all fits together. The troubling pic I took just looked wrong because it made the upper falls look too long and the surrounding terrain too steep. Which is actually the opposite of what you usually get from a cheap camera. Anyway, the broader perspective and straight-on angle of the pic below convinces me I stood half way up that little upper falls, and then descended towards the lip of the main falls. Interesting how the pic below doesn't capture the horseshoe shape of the terrain. Looks like the back of the bowl, where the old highway cuts through, is just a gradual slope (actually, maybe it is...maybe the GE image exaggerates the typography, although that would be surprising).
I don't feel bad about posting somebody else's pic. Credit is prominent, and it's not altered or marked up. Didn't even change the file name. I suspect the photographer would be pleased to see it getting a broader audience.
I feel better now. Although I had a hard time finding a good pic from the north, today I found one by accident when searching for info on the Crown Point water tanks (interesting, but kinda outside the scope of a hiking board, so I didn't post pics)" Now it all fits together. The troubling pic I took just looked wrong because it made the upper falls look too long and the surrounding terrain too steep. Which is actually the opposite of what you usually get from a cheap camera. Anyway, the broader perspective and straight-on angle of the pic below convinces me I stood half way up that little upper falls, and then descended towards the lip of the main falls. Interesting how the pic below doesn't capture the horseshoe shape of the terrain. Looks like the back of the bowl, where the old highway cuts through, is just a gradual slope (actually, maybe it is...maybe the GE image exaggerates the typography, although that would be surprising).
I don't feel bad about posting somebody else's pic. Credit is prominent, and it's not altered or marked up. Didn't even change the file name. I suspect the photographer would be pleased to see it getting a broader audience.
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Re: Crown of Thorns (Crown Point Falls)
The main waterfall below Crown Point is unofficially called "TP Falls" 
Rumor has it that was what you'd see on the cliff in the good ol' days before Vista House had a proper septic system...
*A disclaimer for anyone wanting to explore this area more* - the first ridge east of Vista House is marked as No Trespassing by Oregon State Parks and they do cite people if caught on it. This, as Lurch said above, is due to multiple fatalities & injuries over the years from people who ventured out there. The main problem is that it is very easily accessible from the Vista House parking lot to anyone (kids, drunk people, inexperienced, etc.) who aren't familiar or taking the same precautions as your average hiker. Nobody is going to stop you from exploring the area around here though - my advice is just to avoid hanging out on that ridge because it encourages others watching from the parking lot to do the same who might not be as experienced & careful as you are!
Rumor has it that was what you'd see on the cliff in the good ol' days before Vista House had a proper septic system...*A disclaimer for anyone wanting to explore this area more* - the first ridge east of Vista House is marked as No Trespassing by Oregon State Parks and they do cite people if caught on it. This, as Lurch said above, is due to multiple fatalities & injuries over the years from people who ventured out there. The main problem is that it is very easily accessible from the Vista House parking lot to anyone (kids, drunk people, inexperienced, etc.) who aren't familiar or taking the same precautions as your average hiker. Nobody is going to stop you from exploring the area around here though - my advice is just to avoid hanging out on that ridge because it encourages others watching from the parking lot to do the same who might not be as experienced & careful as you are!