Oneonta Gorge is a narrow and verdant canyon in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area.
This is a lovely canyon that lies not far east of Portland (Oregon) in the Columbia River Gorge. Being lush, verdant and wet, it offers the kind of scenery and a feeling that is quintessentially Pacific Northwest. It is Oneonta Gorge, and to explore it requires a bit of an adventurous spirit.
To get there, drive east of Portland into the Columbia River Gorge along Interstate 84. Keep going past Multnomah Falls and take the next exit (#35, Ainsworth). Loop around and head back west, turning left at the stop sign on the Historic Highway toward Multnomah Falls. In fact, an alternative is to travel the Historic Highway all the way out from Corbett (see previous post) past Multnomah Falls and on to Oneonta. If you take the freeway, all you need to do is drive a couple miles back west along the Historic Highway. You’ll first come to Horsetail Falls on the left. Keep going (or stop and take a photo!) for another quarter mile and you’ll see a small tunnel off to the left. The road does not go through the tunnel. Cross over Oneonta Creek on a small bridge and pull off at the wide spot just past the tunnel.
Logs are swept down Oneonta Gorge during heavy winter rains.
Walk back towards the tunnel and you will see a small set of stairs that drops down to Oneonta Creek. Depending on the time of year, you will either be able to hike up the creek a short way without getting wet or you will quickly get your feet wet. In either case, in order to proceed very far up the narrow gorge, you’ll need to scramble over a large log jam (be very careful) and then wade up the creek. Bring old sneakers and wool socks with either shorts or quick-drying pants. It’s cool in the canyon so warm clothes are a good idea.
The walls of Oneonta Gorge in Oregon are covered in moss and other plants that are kept wet by the constant water seeping from above.
You can wade up the gorge only about a half-mile before you come to a waterfall, which will halt your progress. The walls along the sides of this narrow canyon are covered with moss and ferns. During the wet season (winter and early Spring) you will likely not get all the way to the falls, and you can even be stopped at the far side of the log jam in high water. In hot summer months you will be able to wade all the way up. But since this is a very popular place during the warm season now, definitely go during the week. Better yet go up when the weather is cooler and you will probably have the place to yourself.
The Oneonta Gorge in Oregon narrows to a point where not much light makes it down to the creek bottom.
Over the past week I’ve gone up twice. The first time the water was much too high to continue past the log jam, but on my second visit I saw that the water had dropped quite a bit. So I waded upstream in the icy water (brrr!). The last section to the waterfall passes the narrowest and deepest part of the creek, so that was as far as I got. If you were to swim, you could get all the way. But it would be a cold swim!
The narrows of Oneonta Gorge in Oregon were created over uncounted years by the creek’s frequent flooding.
In Onenta Gorge, Oregon, the approach to its waterfall is guarded by deep water in spring’s high water flows.
Hope you enjoyed the photos of this incredible canyon. I’m sorry these images are not available for free download. The versions here are much too small for use anyway. Just click on any you might be interested in to gain access to the high-resolution versions. Then click “add image to cart” to go to a tabbed price list. Your image won’t be added to the cart until you see the prices. Thanks for your interest and cooperation. See ya next time!
On the way back from Oneonta Gorge, wet feet didn’t keep me from stopping along the way and admiring the evening glow on the Columbia River with the moon and Orion’s Belt glittering above.
