Oneonta Gorge
Stats
Fitness Level: Moderate (must have a good sense of balance and log climbing abilities)
Experience: Easy
Distance: .6 mile round trip
Elevation: Practically none
Open: Open year round
Good for: A fun summer adventure on a hot day
Usage: Crowed on summer weekends and parking is limited
Accessibility: Honda Civic (the parking lot is paved)
Quick Take
Oneonta Gorge is a fun, adventurous short summer hike that involves climbing over a giant log jam, and trekking a quarter mile through cold water that is waist deep at one point to the base of a beautiful waterfall.
About Our Guest Author
Every once in awhile Tessa and I will hand over the reins of CalifOregonia and let someone else tell you about a special adventure. Our first guest author is Paul Garrett, a highly gifted photographer who will be telling you about his trip to Oneonta Gorge. Enjoy his beautiful shots, and the story that goes with them!
Trip Report
On a warm Monday morning in early August, my daughter and I set off to hike Oneonta Gorge for the first time. I had wanted to see this amazing, moss covered slot canyon, for the past two years after seeing photos of it on Instagram and on 500px. As a result, we were both really excited to finally be going.
We arrived at Oneonta Gorge at about 10 am and parked in one of the designated parking areas along the side of the road. This is a water hike so we put on our old running shoes, secured cameras and cell phones inside waterproof bags, and headed down the steps to the creek on the right side of the bridge. The path didn't go very far along the bank of the creek before we had to cross the water for the first time. In a short distance we arrived at the infamous log jam that blocks the opening to the canyon.
Ahead of us was a mom with five little kids who were climbing on top of the logs. I was really shocked that she would take her children here since at least one person has fallen to their death from this log jam. Climbing over these tree trunks is fun, but it is also very dangerous so I would not advise anyone to take little kids or dogs on this hike. The logs are also wet and slippery so be extra careful scaling this large and precarious obstacle.
Once on the other side, we began our hike through shallow water, stepping on the hand sized rocks that lie on the bed of the creek. I was expecting it to be tricky to walk on these rocks without slipping, but to my surprise it was not bad. Heading up the creek, the canyon walls began to close in on us. At this point it felt like we were in another world that was foreign and magical. Further up the creek we came to another huge log that we had to climb over, and just beyond that the water got deeper and deeper until it was up over our waists. At this point, I was holding my backpack over my head to prevent my camera gear from getting wet.
The canyon widened slightly and the water became shallow again. It was about this point when we started hearing the sound of falling water. Just ahead, in all of her glory was Lower Oneonta Falls plunging one hundred feet down the sheer face of a cliff and into the creek before us. At this point, I got out my camera and tripod and had a great time taking pictures while others ventured deeper towards the base of the falls to soak in the cool clear water. To my surprise, the water was refreshing rather than frigid and felt good on that hot day.
As we headed back toward our car, we were greeted by hordes of people who were just arriving at the creek. This was not a problem until we got to the log jam, which was congested with new arrivals who were heading into the gorge. This held us up for a bit, but we managed to squeeze by the giddy hikers at the top of the pile and make it safely down the other side.
Back at the car we had smiles on our faces as we changed into dry clothes for our next adventure at Eagle Creek. This hike was shorter and easier than I had imagined, it was beautiful, it was exhilarating and the log jam and water aspects made it different from any hike that we have ever done in Oregon before. This is an incredible experience that I highly recommend for a fun summer adventure with friends.
Driving Directions
Oneonta Gorge is located along side Historic Route 30 in the Columbia River Gorge just miles past famous Multnomah Falls. If you are coming west from Portland the best place for you to get from I-84 to Route 30 is at Exit 28 and then continue heading west until you arrive at Oneonta Gorge.