Wah Gwin Gwin Falls, Waterfall at Columbia Gorge Hotel grounds in Hood River County, Oregon.
Wah Gwin Gwin Falls is a waterfall on the Columbia Gorge Hotel grounds in Hood River County, Oregon, that channels Phelps Creek down through multiple tiers. The water descends in a narrow column and flows into the Columbia River after passing over a stone-walled terrace.
The waterfall was integrated into the design of the Columbia Gorge Hotel, built in this region to shape the landscape experience along the Columbia River. Architects created viewing platforms with masonry that matched the hotel entrance style.
The name Wah Gwin Gwin may come from a Native American word meaning "rushing waters", and the falls are also called Lullaby Falls. A hotel of the same name stood on the lot before the Columbia Gorge Hotel was built. The terrace beside the falls is flanked by a wall laid in the same masonry ashlar technique as the hotel entryway.
The falls sit on the grounds of the Columbia Gorge Hotel, south of Hood River, and the hotel terrace along the back of the building, edged by an ashlar masonry wall, gives the closest view. The rock face beside the water is wet and uneven, so footing can be slick after rain.
The falls are also called Lullaby Falls. The name Wah Gwin Gwin may come from a Native American word meaning "rushing waters", and the same name was used by an earlier hotel that stood on the lot before the Columbia Gorge Hotel.
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