TROUTDALE, Ore. (KOIN) — One of the most popular tourist destinations in Oregon is finally set to open again after the Eagle Creek Fire shut it down months ago.
The U.S. Forest Service said parts of Multnomah Falls should be open sometime in the final week of November.
“The end is near,” VP of the Multnomah Falls Company Jill Buck said. “This has been a 3-month journey for our business. A really hard struggle for us.”
Buck said many employees, who had to be let go during the summer, will be welcomed back when the lodge opens.
“The slopes behind the lodge have the potential to hit the lidge with pretty large rockfall that can kill someone or damage the building, so part of our effort, we’re installing a new rock fall barrier behind the lodge,” engineering geologist Ryan Cole said.
The only available parking are will be the one just off I-84, which has 186 spots, and the shuttle won’t be running yet.
“When they’re full, they’re full,” ODOT maintenance manager Kent Kalsch said. “If there are safety issues, they will be towed.”
The news is welcome to many businesses in Cascade Locks and Hood River that rely on Multnomah Falls for traffic and tourism.
“It’s really tough this wintertime,” Thunder Island Brewing Company founder David Lipps said. “Even though hiking in the winter is nothing like the summertime, it’s still something. We lost that kind of base.”
Lipps said the business was doing well before the fire, but now it’s down to “bare bones” staff.
At the Ruddy Duck in Hood River, employees are excited to have people coming back to their way.
“It could really not be at a better time,” sales associate Julie Zapien said. “For it to reopen right before the holidays is huge. You know our community will definitely feel that support and love coming our way.”
The Forest Service said it will be announcing the official reopening date soon. Officials hope it happens this week, but weather may force a delay.