Moulton Falls

We hiked Moulton Falls a couple weekends ago which resulted in the Ultimate Funday Sunday! This location has something for all hikers no matter your skill level. You can have fun hiking the many trails or wade in the water to escape the summer heat. End your day after the hike by treating yourself to a beer or wine tasting at a nearby winery or brewery. Moulton Falls is an awesome location for all you adventure day enthusiasts out there!

Seriously you guys, I’m in love with the Pacific Northwest. A couple weekends ago the weather gave us a taste of summer so we seized the moment by going on another adventure day to Moulton Falls. After the butt burning Dog Moutain hike we craved an adventure a little gentler on the knees. Moulton Falls was our ticket to experience a beautiful, peaceful, and ample hike with little elevation gain.

When it comes to hiking, a good rule of thumb is to get up early and get’er done! The PNW has seen an influx of people move to the area, which means the trails are quickly becoming crowded. The parking lots at trailheads are often small so we like to arrive early to ensure we get a spot. Kieran and I like to reach a trail no later than 9:30 -10 am if we can help it.

We pulled up to the Moulton Falls trailhead around 10 am and got one of the last parking spots. We seem to have a knack for doing that. Excited to start, we secured our daypacks then set off for a fun-filled adventure day.

I want to point out if you’re an experienced hiker Moulton Falls will seem… vanilla. I rank this hike as extremely easy because the main trail is flat with a smidge of elevation gain. The most scenic parts of the Moulton Falls trail are located near the trailhead.  You don’t have to venture far to get an eyeful of beautiful surroundings. Once you cross the arched East Fork High Bridge (shown above) the scenery tappers off and besides tall trees and the occasional view of the river, there’s not much to look at.

Check out the footage from our hike below:

However, if you have the time and energy to spare, trek north across the main road and hike the winding trail to Yacolt Falls. This trail seemed to be a bonus section of the hike. I say bonus section because the trail map was confusing. We seriously thought we were hiking the main Moulton Falls trail only to discover we weren’t. We stumbled on the Yacolt Falls trailhead instead.

Yacolt Falls actually was a gem to find. Besides the East Fork High Bridge, Yacolt Falls was the prettiest scenery we came across all day. Supposedly there is a larger waterfall and tougher hikes in the area, but we never saw any signs for those. Yacolt Falls is located roughly 1/4 mile from the main highway. It’s easy to get to, even if you’re a novice hiker.

When we reached the falls we noticed a cool looking metal swinging footbridge on the other side of the water (not pictured). The bridge was drawn aside so we weren’t able to cross. I later read the bridge is tied back during the winter. At this juncture, we didn’t know how to proceed so we continued north for a while until we reached what looked like an abandoned railroad station. I later read in December, a Christmas train sometimes runs to the station and there is a Santa Claus greeter with Christmas trees for sale.

We poked around the station for a bit then decided to turn back. Remarkably, we had the Yacolt Falls trail to ourselves for the majority of the morning. Hiking alone in the PNW can be a rarity so we relished in our solitude. It wasn’t until we turned around and hiked back to the Yacolt Falls trailhead that we stumbled upon another pair of hikers. They kindly told us where to find the Moulton Falls trailhead so we could continue our adventure.

Moulton Hike Specs:

The parking lot fills up quickly so get there early.

Pros: Close to Portland. Flat and easy hike for all skill levels. Deep pools of water to wade in during the summer.
Cons: Gets crowded especially in the summer. The trail map is somewhat confusing
Parking Pass: None
Difficulty: Easy
Total Distance: *5.9 miles (see notes)
Hike Type: Depends on which hike you pick. Some are there and back and some are loops
Elevation Gain: 500 feet
Trail Condition: Well maintained, partly paved, and flat
Family Friendly: Yes
Backpackable: No
Crowded: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes, on a leash

Gear List:

Daypack/backpack
Camelbacks which hold 3L of water
First aid kit
Map of area
**Emergency supplies: lighter, utility knife, back up cell phone, rope, duck tape, emergency poncho, headlamp, back up batteries

Clothing and Food List:

Top: Layers of non-cotton clothing (I wore a t-shirt, a thin long sleeve shirt, topped with my windbreaker) I carried a sweatshirt in my daypack
Bottom: Noncotton workout pants topped with a thin pair of waterproof pants
Hiking shoes
Wool socks (I layer a thin pair of ankle high socks over wool socks. That way, when I walk, the socks rub against each other instead of causing friction against my skin)
Baseball cap with a knit hat on top
Gloves
I keep extra socks and warm clothing that in the car in case I get wet and want to change
***Food: apples, cheese, p&J sandwiches, snack bars, and food for Homie

*The Moulton Falls section of the hike is 2.6 miles one way, however, you can continue walking the path for extra miles if you wish. Additionally, you’ll find other trails in the vicinity of Moulton Falls. You can pack on extra miles if you check out Yacolt Falls, Lucia Falls and/or Bells Mountain. 

**Even on easy hikes we always carry emergency supplies so we’re safe, not sorry.

***We always bring 2 days of food with us in case we get caught in a situation that keeps us on the trail longer than expected (getting lost, avalanche, fire, bad weather ect)

The scenery at the beginning of Moulton Falls looked like an enchanted forest. The color of the water surrounding the picturesque East Fork High Bridge was a bright emerald green. The colorful water gently lapped the moss covered rocks on either side of the river. You can wade in the water during the summer but at your own risk, lifeguards are not stationed there.

You’ll notice when you cross the bridge the gravel trail follows alongside the river. Interesting looking houses dot the river’s landscape. A few houses had crazy looking lanais or suspended gazebos. Some featured interesting rock formations that doubled as steps down to the river. I’m sure the owners of those homes spend countless hours down by the river during the hot summer months. I’m not going to lie, I was jelly!

You can’t see the river after you’ve hiked the trail for about a mile or so. The trail continues to wind through tall slanting trees and overgrown brush. Kieran and I felt satisfied with the hike even though our surroundings weren’t the awe-inspiring views we’re accustomed to. The weather was picture perfect and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. We felt content just being outside and enjoying each other’s company.

We found another map along the way and realized we hiked 2.6 miles already. The trail kept going but we decided to turn back and hike another 2.6 miles back to our car. Supposedly there was a scenic viewpoint along the way but we don’t recall seeing anything significant. Again, the trailhead map is kind of confusing. We ran into areas, like the railroad station, not shown on the map and missed certain viewpoints that were supposed to be on the map. We knew our general location the entire time so just chuckled and carried on.

I’m guessing all-in-all we hiked close to 6 miles by the time we reached the car. The towns surrounding Moulton Falls are littered with breweries and wineries so we decided to treat ourselves to a flight of IPA at Barrel Mountain Brewery in Battle Ground, WA. The bar had a funky cool aesthetic mixing rustic wooden elements with pops of industrial metals. I loved it, especially the beer!

Ultimately our adventure day was a success. We got to enjoy ample time outdoors then explore new breweries in the area, it was the perfect Funday Sunday. I’m brimming with excitement because the weather is slowly becoming nicer which means our adventure days will be more frequent. I literally have a spreadsheet organizing the hikes and campgrounds we want to explore this summer.

Oh god, speaking of camping, Moulton Falls is surrounded by campsites so while we hiked we could smell the faintest whiffs of campfire smoke. You guys, it was glorious. We can’t wait to get this camping season started! I’m sure I’ll be posting my share of camping adventures and recipes!

Alright, folks, that’s a wrap on Moulton Falls! Kieran and I will be visiting family in Florida by the time this post publishes hopefully enjoying 80-degree weather and copious amounts of rum. I plan on shooting another video of our travels and collaborating a quick recipe shoot with my adorable niece and nephew, who coined themselves, Mini Munch. I mean, how freaking cute they call themselves Mini Munch?! I’m not sure what we’re going to film yet but I’ll do my best to make it entertaining. See you next week!

THANK YOU FOR BEING APART OF THE SHOCK MUNCH COMMUNITY. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOU!