BRIDAL VEIL, Ore. (KGW) — Memorial Day weekend is almost here, marking the unofficial start of summer, and many people will be looking for ways to get outside. If visiting Multnomah Falls is on your to-do list, you will soon need to buy a permit.
Starting this Friday, May 26, permits will be required for each vehicle that accesses Multnomah Falls by taking Interstate 84 and the parking lot near exit 31. Permits cost $2 and can be purchased online. They include a one-hour time slot that can be reserved up to two weeks in advance, though visitors can stay longer than an hour. Permits will be required between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day through Monday, Sept. 4.
There will also be a limited number of permits for same-day pickup at the Gateway to the Gorge Visitor Center in Troutdale and the Cascade Locks Historical Museum. Those permits will be free, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
Visitors who take a shuttle or travel by bike do not need to purchase permits.
Unlike last summer, timed-use permits will not be required this year to travel through a stretch of the Historic Columbia River Highway, nicknamed the Waterfall Corridor. ODOT implemented a permit pilot program that aimed to reduce congestion along the highway. The agency said the pilot program was a success, but they cannot run the program and staff it without dedicated funding.
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