Oneonta Trail

This was a really fun and short hike. Climb over a fun log jam, and then walk through the stunning gorge. At one point you have to walk through waist high water, before it ends in a beautiful waterfall and pool. The more daring go swimming in the cold water. It gets pretty crowded but still a great time.

We started at horsetail falls and hiked through to Oneonta. If you are looking to pack various types of waterfalls in a short time, I highly recommend this route. Horsetail is tall and majestic. After a short hike up the hill and into the woods, you can walk under ponytail falls. Another quick trek down the trail, featuring gorgeous views of the historic highway & Columbia river, takes you to a metal bridge that crosses Oneonta Creek. If you keep going west along the trail, you wind back down to the highway where you can see the Oneonta tunnel. Right before the tunnel, to your right, is the start of the hike into the gorge. Unless you show up really early, you will not be the only one heading in to see the falls.
At first, you navigate through some rocks and a low spot of the creek. Don’t worry about trying to keep your feet dry because they will be fully submerged soon enough. You will come across a large log jam that spans the entire width of the gorge. Here is where the men are separated from the boys. Be careful, check for loose logs before you commit, and try to keep 3 points of contact while traversing the jam.
Congratulations, you made it through the toughest part of the hike! Now get ready to get wet. When we were here in early July, the water was chest high and there is no getting around it. Keep your valuables above your head or in waterproof containers. I was able to get a couple of sandwiches through, we sat on some dry rocks and enjoyed those while watching people swim under the waterfall.
The beauty of the gorge is tough to describe. There’s a reason why it’s #3 on Buzzfeeds surreal places of America.

Beautiful and a very short hike (probably 1.5 miles round trip from the parking).
Be very careful while going over the log jam.
I remember some of the logs were pretty loose, which by looking wasn’t very obvious.
I visited this place on an early morning of July and the highest water I walked through was 3.5 feet. Although the day was pretty warm, the water was pretty cold at that time.
The pool under the fall was deep enough.
Do try to carry some waterproof bag to save your camera and mobile phones.
Get here as early as possible to avoid crowd.

Incredible experience! Warning, if you have ANY difficulties with mobility, this is not an option for you. The logs are actually pretty difficult to get over. If you can make it and deal with the cold water, it’s so worth it. Park near the walk through tunnel, walk thru and find the staircase to the left. It will lead you to the stream. Once you cross the logs you are on your way to the waterfall :) make sure whatever you bring is waterproof. In one part of the gorge the water was almost to my neck.

This is one of the best hikes I’ve done in USA so far! The hike is not too long but it takes a lot of effort and energy to get what you came for which is the stunning waterfall.
This is NOT a hike to bring your little kids or dogs to!!! You really need to climb on logs and walk trough ice cold water.
It would be irresponsible and stupid if you think you can carry your infant in a backpack! I have seen those stupid parents climbing around which made my heart almost stop a couple of times!
The logs can get wet and slippery. Be prepared to get wet up till your chest. Wear clothes that is suitable to go in the water with and wear proper footwear like water shoes, hiking shoes, sport shoes.
Do not wear flip flops or sandals that would be very uncomfortable when you are climbing those logs.
This hike is totally worth the climbing and getting in the water for! Just be prepared for the unexpected.

This was a cool little jaunt after the Triple Falls hike loop. To end with this was the way to go! The log jam though was insane. Dog, babies, kids, young, old… it was a scene to say the least. All were very friendly in getting across though, which was nice. The water in the middle did get to my torso, but overall wasn’t that bad. It was better than trying to scale the rock on the right side. Just go thru the water… its much easier! The fall was beautiful and as it was 90 degrees yesterday it was refreshing. Highly recommend for the experience. :)

Two words: Log Jam.
Get here early to avoid crowds. Wear tennis shoes or Tevas, not flip flops, and prepared to get wet up to your chest just to get to falls. So bring a change of clothes and leave in your car. Bring waterproof pack to hold keys, phone or camera.
It us breathtakingly beautiful. However get here early to avoid stupid people.
The large traffic jam on the big logs with people bringing small dogs big dogs kids and babies is crazy. You have to transverse the logs getting in, then getting out. The logs are wet and at times slippery. We saw some narrow misses with dog owners letting their large dogs off the leash and almost knocking 4 people off the log jam. That was scary
Then there was the guy with the baby, infant almost fell out if it’s baby pack when he was leaning over. Baby could have easily been killed. It was nutty.
People were helping each other. I had a few helping hands. My husband helped some other ladies climb over the large piles of wet logs. We both had to encourage 3 kids who were on the verge of breaking down crying and shaking in fear. Clearly parents don’t have a clue.
We found out later with talking to a nice ranger who had the day off that they rescue people 3−5x a week from those who fall off the logs and break arm, legs, ribs etc
Anyway why do this? The narrow slot canyon gorge with ferns and moss clinging to the rocky walls has a gorgeous waterfall with ice cold pool of water. Yes! I went swimming in the waterfall! It was soooooo cold yet so beautiful.
So come early to avoid crowds, wear proper gear, bring waterproof container. Have a change of clothes, towel and dry shoes in your car. Lastly, the ranger said cars are broken-​in and items stolen quite a lot here. So leave valuables at home and hide everything out of sight!

Oneonta! Oneonta! Woo! You will feel like you just join american ninja, with all the log obstacles and rock climbing.
You will get wet, there’s no option for that, unless you can fly. Its nice if you are just wearing flip flops. If you want to wear your sneakers, make sure it’s not the expensive Jordan’s. Put your phone on something water proof. If you get scared, don’t back up! The view is worth hiking for.

This is such a beautiful hike! It’s also nice and short too.
I came down here with a friend on a last minute road trip for Labor Day weekend and I’m really glad I did. This hike is so beautiful and I got some great shots!
It was getting a bit late in the day so I’m glad this was a short hike. It was a little confusing to find the trail head, apparently you start on either side of the bridge, but once we found the trail it was easy going. That said, the hike is a bit treacherous as you are climbing over boulders and fallen trees. Also, you will get wet, no way around it so plan accordingly. We were not that prepared but made it work anyways, just had to roll up our pants and soaked our shoes, luckily we had spare pairs.
Most of the parts where you have to walk in the river are pretty shallow but at least one spot is pretty deep but if you are smart, like us, you can scale the wall a bit and only get your feet wet.
Be sure to make it all the way to the falls at the end, that’s the best part. The falls are gorgeous and the valley that you hike in just looks so cool. I would highly recommend this hike and I’ll be doing it again for sure!

Screen saver type beautiful.
This hike was a little different then the ones I’m typically used to. It’s less than a mile and all flat since you’re basically swimming to the falls, but the first part can be a little difficult. Lisa H and I found it confusing. Luckily we had some people ahead of us to copy how they went around all of the logs and rocks.
I would not recommend doing this alone since you can easily slip or fall on the rocks or logs and get hurt. The rocks are sharp and some parts can be very difficult to get around. Don’t do what I did and wear flip flops. BRING YOUR HIKING SHOES. Also bring a towel because the water is freezing cold and you’ll need it after possibly being neck deep in water.
I highly recommend doing this though. It’s well worth it and even if you don’t get to the falls, the view is absolutely stunning.
So green, lush, and remarkable.
I already can not wait to go back and finish the hike neck deep in water.

Walking thru the gorge is great. Make sure to wear swim ware because you will walk thru the streams. Also have some good grips on your shoes or else you will slip while climbing over the boulders and logs.

This was a nice little hike in the Gorge. My wife and I did it very easily and saw many people with young children as well. See more; do more; explore!
The only down side is the massive amounts of people in the area crossing the roads or looking at the waterfalls. Watch out for pedestrians when getting there and finding a parking space!

Excellent hike. I was visiting for the weekend and wanted to fit a bit of Oregon wilderness into the trip without taking up a whole day, and this was perfect. It took a couple hours, and we saw three spectacular waterfalls, some scenic views up and down the Gorge, and a beautiful forest. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Pretty easy trail with small parking lot at the bottom. Only a 1.8 mile hike to a very good view of Triple Falls.

Awesome, majestic views. Nice hike. Beautiful. Highly recommended.

This is one of the best hikes in the gorge! It’s not too difficult for the wee ones, but is challenging and/​or rewarding enough for the avid hikers. The trail isn’t very long, but there are options for longer hikes as you follow the trail deeper into the gorge. We chose to follow the Horsetail Falls Trail which led to Ponytail Falls (upper horsetail) and the Lower Horsetail Falls. If you have never seen the Ponytail Falls I highly recommend you make a trip out to this location and make the hike. It’s well worth it! You can start from Oneonta Trail, or from Horsetail. The latter of the two is shorter. Either way, the trail is no more than a couple miles in length total; less than that if you just hike to the Ponytail Falls from Horsetail and back again the way you came.
Ponytail Falls is spectacular! The Horsetail Falls trail actually slips in behind the waterfall under a rock face. From there you can peacefully enjoy watching the massive plume of water splash into the shallow pool below. The pool is shallow enough to wade through, though the water is very cold! Burrr! I imagine on a hot day it would feel heavenly!
Heading just east of the Horsetail Falls Trail Head you’ll find another trail head for the Oneonta Gorge Trail It is not well marked, but is just off to the right (south) before you walk through the Old Columbia River Hwy passage through the rock face. This trail is not for the wee ones, nor the old ones, nor the disabled ones! It is slightly treacherous in areas and requires hikers to wade in knee deep to chest deep water towards the end. There are also large boulders, slippery logs and rocks that you must navigate to reach your final destination on this trail. At the end there is a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole to enjoy!
What makes all these trails so wonderful is that there is little work required to be rewarded so greatly with such spectacular views. What better way to spend the afternoon?

The locals just call it the Gorge!
After spending some time at Multnomah Fall it was time to get our hiking on. I was looking forward to this hike as I brought along my new camera to take pictures with. I’m not in the best of shape but I figured I could do the almost 3.6 mile round trip up to Triple Falls and back.
I totally luv being in the woods hugging trees and soaking in the glory of nature. The trail has some pretty wide paths and lucky for us it was not as wet so going up in just sneakers was ok. I think next time I would go in hiking boots just to have better traction. The weather was gorgeous in the low 70’s and so although I took a light jacket with me I didn’t need it. You saw people of all ages and dog breeds hiking the trail. They were all very cheerful and greeted you with hellos. You get to a fork a quarter ways up into the trail. Depending on what you want to see you can take the trail to Ponytail falls and the Gorge or go up to see Triple falls. We opted for Triple Falls on this trip.
Well let me tell you, hiking up the Oneonta trail was amazing!!! I took lots of pictures along the way up and back on the trail.
Triple Falls is beautiful. From where I took the picture there is a small area where you can sit and picnic and watch the waterfalls. We decided to head up and go past the falls and over the bridge where you can go down into the water and soak your feet. Warning the water is freaking cold!!! I’m sure it gets a little warmer during the middle of summer. Oh and don’t drink the water. Apparently there is something in it that makes you sick so bring bottled water with you. There’s also a place to picnic and quietly enjoy nature. The hike back was much faster than the hike up. I took my time with the picture taking which ended up helping with my knees.
The entire hike was amazing. Next trip I will take the other route to the Gorge and Ponytail falls.

There are a number of hikes that can start at the Oneonta trailhead. Many enjoy the wading hike directly up the creek, but I like to take a loop up the canyon to Triple Falls, and then over to Ponytail and Horsetail falls on the way back.
This is one of my favorite hikes in the Columbia River Gorge. It doesn’t suffer from the crowds of Multnomah or Latourelle, and it is just as beautiful. As usual, for the first half mile or so, you’ll run into other people, but once you pass the fork in the trail leading to Horsetail falls, you’re going to have the place mostly to yourself.
Triple Falls is majestic and beautiful, and just past the falls there is a great resting area where you can sit quietly and enjoy nature. Then it’s a quick walk back, with a swing down the other trail to Ponytail and Horsetail Falls. The gorge at it’s best!