Flume Gorge

[Tom Rankin]

Having never been, I figured this would be a tourist trap, but it was a rest day after 20 miles and 5.5K of elevation over the weekend, and it was hazy, hot and humid, so we did something touristy and easy.

I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are fences and a paved trail a lot of the way, but I'm now glad it's kept preserved. It's so close to the road that it would be trashed and people would kill themselves if it was wide open.

There are actually 3 waterfalls and stream to see, another little 'secret' I did not know. I'm glad we took the loop trail or we would have missed 2 of them.

The trail is about 2 miles round trip and 500' or so of elevation gain.

At $16.00 it's a little pricey, but I'm glad we went.

 

[sierra]

Having never been, I figured this would be a tourist trap, but it was a rest day after 20 miles and 5.5K of elevation over the weekend, and it was hazy, hot and humid, so we did something touristy and easy.

I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are fences and a paved trail a lot of the way, but I'm now glad it's kept preserved. It's so close to the road that it would be trashed and people would kill themselves if it was wide open.

There are actually 3 waterfalls and stream to see, another little 'secret' I did not know. I'm glad we took the loop trail or we would have missed 2 of them.

The trail is about 2 miles round trip and 500' or so of elevation gain.

At $16.00 it's a little pricey, but I'm glad we went.

Tom,
If you have time and are in the area during the winter, it gives you a much different perspective. The ice formations in the gorge itself are awesome, we used to ice climb in there. It's quiet and makes a nice snowshoe walk and its free!

 

[Chip]

In that area we generally take people to Bald Mtn and Artists Bluff, Echo Lake and The Basin.
I think Echo Lake costs $4.
The Gorge should be seen too, though.

 

[peakbagger]

It is nice to see some of the older tourist attractions kept open for families. The only time I have visited was after a long day in the winter after hiking down Flume Slide trail.

I wish that Alpine Cascade in Gorham still had the boardwalks and stairs that allowed access to see the cascades. It was a contemporary of the flume gorge and was a major sightseeing attraction for folks coming to the whites via the railroad from Portland. I think it closed down when the papermill was built on the other side of the river in 1904. I have been there a few times trying to get a view into it but have come to the conclusion that a harness, ropes and more ability than I have to get close.

 

[dug]

I chaperoned a class trip there this year, and it was the first time (non-winter) I had been there since 1972. Then, the Flume Slide Trail went through there, so we visited it on the way to Mt. Flume. It's still an neat spot and gets people who don't see anything in the mountains out and about.

 

[hiker0200]

Haven't been to the Flume Gorge since 2008 (did the full 2 mile loop), but I liked it a lot! Why I haven't gone back as an add-on to something else, I dunno . I always thought it was cool that the place is somewhat handicap-accessible (bus, graded paths). The mountains should be able to be enjoyed by all.

 

[Driver8]

What do you guys think of Lost River? I visited it in June and was underwhelmed - it was nice but not awe-inspiring. I get the idea that Flume Gorge is more photogenic.