Little Viento Creek

A small tributary flowing into the Columbia River just west of Viento Creek. Little Viento is a good one to hit early season when other creeks are flowing too high. Best for local Portland obsessives who need their rappel fix. Recommend just visiting the last three drops on Little Viento; there are more drops further up the creek, but there's a long walk between them, so they may not be worth your time. This is a short objective which can be run in a couple of hours; perfect for a cold, rainy January day. Watershed: 0.25mi^2.

Park in the Viento Creek trailhead on the south side of exit 56. Note the gate on the south side of the parking area just before the bridge over Viento Creek. Bypass the gate and hike up the track. It switchbacks once and opens into a flat area under the powerline. Little Viento is just ahead and around the corner; worth a quick detour to check the flow. Once satisfied, continue up the old track. At about 700ft elevation, the creek should be visible below you on the right. Break off wherever is easiest and drop right down to the top of R1.