In July, typical afternoon highs at Multnomah Falls run around 81°F (warm). Mid-afternoon sun stands about 58° high, and the sun is up from 5:34 AM to 8:54 PM. Shade depends on terrain and tree cover; open viewpoints are fully exposed.
See live sun & real shadows here →| January | 46°F |
| February | 45°F |
| March | 54°F |
| April | 61°F |
| May | 67°F |
| June | 73°F |
| July | 81°F |
| August | 81°F |
| September | 76°F |
| October | 60°F |
| November | 53°F |
| December | 50°F |
Shade depends on terrain and tree cover; open viewpoints are fully exposed. See real building shadows over satellite imagery for any time of day: https://isthereshade.com/?anywhere&at=45.57595,-122.11536
Around 8:54 PM local time in mid-July (it shifts through the year). Sunrise is about 5:34 AM.
Multnomah Falls · Corbett, OR. Data: exact sun position; climate normals from historical weather; live forecast on the interactive view.
Multnomah Falls drops down a shaded basalt cliff in the Columbia River Gorge, and the setting gives it a built-in cooling system. The forest of the gorge closes over much of the trail, the tall cliff walls throw shadow across the base for large parts of the day, and the falls themselves send a cool mist drifting over anyone standing near the lower viewpoint. On a warm Oregon afternoon, that combination makes the falls one of the more comfortable outdoor stops around.
The climate helps too. July afternoon highs at the falls run about 81°F, with August the same, so a summer day here is warm rather than harsh. The heat you do feel is concentrated in the open spots: the lodge plaza, the main viewing area, and the exposed switchbacks higher on the trail that climb out of the tree cover.
At 3 PM on a July day the sun sits about 58 degrees up on a southwest bearing near 231. Because the falls face out of a deep, north-side gorge cut, the cliff and the surrounding forest keep much of the lower trail shaded well into the afternoon, though the exact timing shifts as the sun moves.
Summer days in the gorge are long, with July sunrise around 5:34 AM and sunset near 8:54 PM. Early morning is the coolest and least crowded time, with soft light in the canyon and the trail nearly empty; the falls draw heavy crowds by midday in summer, so an early start solves both the sun and the parking. Late afternoon toward sunset is the other calm window as the gorge cools.
Given the moderate highs and the shade, this is not a visit that demands serious heat precautions, but the hike up to the top of the falls is a real climb and the exposed switchbacks catch the sun, so carry water and take the ascent at the cooler ends of the day. The mist near the base is refreshing rather than something to avoid.
The gorge is beautiful across the seasons; by October the high eases to 60 and the crowds thin, while spring runs high with snowmelt and cooler air. Summer is the warmest and busiest stretch, which is exactly when the shade and mist earn their keep.
To see how the cliff and the surrounding forest throw shade across the trail and plaza at the hour you plan to arrive, the satellite shadow view shows it for your date. At Multnomah Falls the gorge does most of the work: stay near the shaded, misty base when the sun is high, and take the exposed climb early.