Hiked: July 2016

Oneonta Gorge is undoubtedly one of the absolute best “hikes” in Oregon. As long as your willing to get wet, you absolutely need to put this at the top of your bucket list.

First I will address the “hike” portion of this “trail”. This blog is referring to the “trail” through the gorge, not the Lower Oneonta Falls hike. After seeing the many pictures and references to the Oneonta Gorge and talking to those who had done it before, I still did not realize how very short this “trail” is. See my note at the end to make more of a hike day out of this trip. I say “trail” because there is one for about 100 feet and then you are essentially just following the creek. And by following I mean walking through it.

All that said, it is beautiful. You are walking through a moss covered gorge that is just wide enough for the sun to shine through and keep you warm while wading through very, very cold water. This hike is ridiculously crowded on hot day in Portland. Normally that would be a huge reason not to do it. But trust me, just do it.

You will start off in the overly crowded parking lot that is essentially just a wide section of concrete. To map, look for Oneonta Gorge Trail. There is a small staircase next to the “parking lot”. This first area does have a tiny path. You will very quickly come across a log jam. The logs are very large and honestly, this is very easy to climb over unless you have small children (my 15 lb. dog did it with minimal issue). However this is a bottleneck on the trail. So you may be stuck in a traffic jam for quite a while. Best bet, if your up for it, is to try out other, more adventurous routes across.

After this you will be wading through the creek. At times you will have a brief “dry” spot but for the most part your shoes will be in water, all the way up to your mid-knee. Wear shoes. I brought sandals, not realizing how extended the walking in water part would be. I wore my hiking shoes (which worked fantastically), but make sure whatever you wear can get fully wet and still stay lite and comfortable.

Then comes the rough part. You will be in water up to your chest. Unless you are freakishly tall (and I mean freakishly). I thought this might be an exaggeration, it is not. If you are short, you may be swimming. It is a very short section but it is unavoidable.

Once you exit the near freezing water while carrying anything you brought with you over your head, the waterfall is right in front of you. It is deep enough at the waterfall to swim some more if you just can’t resist numbing your entire body.

And that is it. Again this is really short. But it is packed full of fun: log jams, water obstacles and beautiful scenery. But if your looking for a little more out of your day, read on…

Hike the Horsetail Falls Loop. It is a short 2.6 mile round trip. I suggest doing this before the Oneonta as it will help warm you up and maybe you will actually enjoy to cold water. We did it the other way around. This hike is great all on it’s own and is easy. You will cross a bridge and go behind a waterfall!