We were staying in Portland near the airport. I had mapped out a day-trip loop heading along the Columbia River Gorge and then south to Mt. Hood. As the first leg of the trip, we were heading to Multnomah Falls, so stopping first at Vista House seemed an obvious choice (since it is closer to Portland).

A caveat - Vista House and Multnomah Falls both open at 9 a.m. Given the crowding at the falls, you might want to consider going there first and back-tracking to Vista House.

We arrived at Vista House around 8:50 a.m. The only downside to that was that (being in the Portland area) it was still gray and overcast. If you want bright and sunny conditions at this spot, you'll probably have to schedule it for the afternoon (based on my admittedly limited experience in the area).

There was plenty of parking when we arrived, but I am not sure what it is like later in the day. It is free to enter, but we had to wait until exactly 9 a.m. In the meantime, we took photos from the plaza and road adjacent to the tower. The views down to the river are quite impressive. As an aside: the large ice-age flood that helped to shape the gorge had water levels higher than this site!

Inside, they have some exhibits downstairs about the history of the site. It was a stop on the pre-interstate U.S. highway system back in the 1930s. You can also climb up to the roof-level plaza for slightly higher views.

Overall, this was an interesting and worthwhile stop if you are driving through the gorge in either direction. It is just a short drive / detour from the highway.