PORTLAND:
We headed back into the Columbia River Gorge for another waterfall adventure. We headed to the
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| Ponytail Falls |
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| Horsetail Falls |
Oneonta Trail which is north of the Multnomah falls area. The trail allows beautiful views of the Horsetail, Ponytail, Middle Oneonta and Triple falls. There is also access to the popular Oneonta creek which leads to the Oneonta falls. We will likely return to explore the Oneonta creek in the future.
The trial was mild to start with some steeper sections. We came upon Ponytail falls which shot out from a fissure in the massive rock formations. The trail leads behind the falls and under these massive rock formations. It is hard not to be weary and I decided not to spend a lot of time under there.
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| Oneonta Creek Bridge |
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| Middle Oneonta Falls |
The trail leads up to a look out point over the Columbia River Gorge. We decided to stop here for a break and to take in the views. The trail then dipped back down with a number of switch backs. We headed over the Oneonta Creek bridge which provided views of the Middle Oneonta Falls. The trail leads to the very top of the Lower Oneonta falls. Unfortunately, you can hear the roar of these falls but it is nearly impossible to access the lower portion from this trail. Instead, you have to start back near the road, walk along the creek bed, make it through a log jam, to make it to the secluded waterfall. Stay tuned for that adventure!
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| Triple Falls |
The trail gets much more difficult leading deeper into the Oneonta Gorge along the creek. There are moderately difficult areas of loose rock and dirt. The trail dips down again to a large rock formation with a view of Triple falls. We continued on along a path that allows access of the top of the Triple falls. If you are brave you can walk out on the rock to near the very edge of the falls. Not for the faint at heart. Pictures never fully reveal the true depth of looking down from the top of a waterfall.
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| Top of Triple Falls |
We continued on further into the gorge. The sun was at the perfect golden hour which allowed for a gorgeous green glow along the trail. The creek is full of boulders with multiple smaller waterfalls. We would have loved to continue on further but decided to head back down before the light became to dim. We took the loop trail back to the road. It was a wonderful hike with lots of rewards along the way!
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| Trail along the Oneonta Creek |
