Grab your camera and head to the gorge: Multnomah Falls' lower viewing platform is open to the public for the first time in over six months.

Visitors to the iconic Oregon attraction can again get uninhibited views of the gushing falls. And Monday's blue skies serve as a perfect backdrop for that first (almost) spring selfie.

The viewing platform, which sits at the base of the falls, was closed in September by the Eagle Creek fire, which swept through the Columbia River Gorge and eventually covered nearly 49,000 acres. Firefighters protected the 1925 lodge from the flames, and it reopened in November.

Many gorge destinations, including most trails in the burned area, are still closed.

That includes access to Benson Bridge and the trail that wends to the top of Multnomah Falls. Authorities hope to reopen the bridge sometime this summer. They haven't set a timeline for when the trail to the falls' upper viewing platform will reopen.

The upper platform remains intact.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

More coverage of the Eagle Creek fire and its aftermath