Philip Knouf Photography

Waterfall – Mist Falls

Mist Falls waterfall drops 400 feet over rugged basalt cliffs (Philip A. Knouf)

This image of Mist Falls waterfall was taken from the small lake at Benson State Park in the Columbia River Gorge in early April 2012.  Mist Falls waterfall  deserves greater attention than it receives since at over 400 feet it is one of the tallest recognized waterfalls in Oregon. However, the waterfall is less than a mile from the waterfall king of Oregon, Multnomah Falls waterfall which likely has led to its relatively unknown status. And with a rather difficult and dangerous climb up an unstable talus slope to even get to the base, that also contributes to its lesser status.  The best time of the year to see Mist Falls waterfall is during the winter months and early spring; especially after heavy rains.  In the drier months of summer and fall Mist Falls waterfall really lives up to its name as it does become just a mist of water spilling down the basalt cliff face.  It is believed that small springs keep supplying a flow of water during those months.

I used my Canon 5D MKII and the very sharp EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lense  at 70mm, with the shutter set for 0.4 sec. and the lens at  f/13, with an ISO of 100.  I expect to try this image again as we progress into spring green on the trees.  Hope the water supply holds up!

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 at 3:00 am. It is filed under Blog, Water Falls and tagged with Water, waterfall. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.