Each year, an estimated 2 million visitors lay eyes on Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. They amble up the long, gentle staircase to the viewpoint at the base of the lower falls, and gaze upon what may be the most photographed concrete arch bridge in the Pacific Northwest.

Most folks shoot a few frames of their own, and many even hike up to the bridge - Benson Bridge, named for a prominent settler - for a look at the base of the upper, taller falls. Then the visitors shuffle back to their cars or tour buses, pressing on to see the next attraction on their Gorge itinerary.

If you seek a little more adventure from your day in the Gorge, though, I challenge you to view Benson Bridge through a different lens. Don't see it as a tourist-packed attraction, to be avoided...instead, consider it a carnival-like trailhead, swarming with dabblers whose range on foot is less than one mile. Because once you get above Benson Bridge, the swarm of water-gawkers thins out. And with a free map in hand from the Multnomah Falls Visitor Center, you can begin a cleansing five-and-a-half-mile walk in the woods known by locals as the Wahkeena Falls Loop. It takes about three hours to complete.

As with any Gorge hike, the first part can feel like punishment, because elevation is earned quickly. Amazing views unfold with each new switchback. Pay attention to your emotions as you climb. You will inevitably catch yourself thinking, "Wow! Look at that view!" Every time that happens, stop walking! Take your camera out of its case, turn it on, and shoot several pictures of the scene before you. These are images few Gorge visitors ever capture, and you've earned them.

From the top of Multnomah Falls, you'll have a dramatic view of just how high you've climbed. Roughly 600 feet below, you'll see Multnomah Falls Lodge, the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad, and I-84 nestled neatly along the south bank of the Columbia River.

From here you'll continue on the Larch Mountain Trail #410, until it meets the Wahkeena Trail #421. The Wahkeena Trail offers everything you treasure about a hike in the Gorge: seemingly endless stands of old growth trees, ferns so plentiful you begin to think the whole world must be covered with them, and, this time of year, lots and lots of brilliantly-colored flowers. Additional waterfalls also appear en route to Wahkeena, so keep that camera handy.

Upon arrival at Wahkeena Falls, it's important to find the Return Trail, which is a 0.5 mile footpath that parallels Highway 30 between Wahkeena and Multnomah Falls. Hiking back to the Multnomah Falls parking lot along the highway from Wahkeena isn't just dangerous - it's illegal.