Elowah Falls Info And Directions

Elowah Falls



Took another trip to Elowah Falls Today …trying to capture a full-length shot of the drop. I took “Scout “ our new boxer puppy that is about three months old now and seems to love the trail. Anyway the crowds were low at least in this area, and so by the way was the water level. The low flow of the falls allowed me to climb up the right flank that would otherwise be a misty soggy treacherous and somewhat dangerous climb. As you can see I achieved my goal of photographing the entire falls although I’m not thoroughly happy with the composition. I tried a couple of comps from stream level but nothing really inspired me.

For some reason these falls give me some trouble and present challenges that other falls don’t. At any rate you can expect a different look from these falls every visit and it's such a short hike 1.4 mile R/T from the parking area that many visits may be warranted.

Getting There: Heading I-84 Eastbound take the Ainsworth park exit the proceed further East on Frontage Road approximately 1 ½ miles to the John B. Yeon State park turnout. There’s room for about 15 cars and there are no facilities." Note " You can also access McCord Creek Falls from this parking area.

Oneonta Gorge Adventure Awaits You !!

Oneonta Gorge

Have you wanted to go on a really cool little adventure? Well I have the answer and it may come as a surprise how relatively easy it is and within such a close proximity to the Portland area. I'm talking about Oneonta Gorge located just east of Multnomah Falls on the Historic Columbia River Highway.

The adventure part comes in when you're hiking trail is a stream and you must negotiate a huge log jam; other than that it's a piece of cake in terms of outdoor photography outings. You see over the course of a couple of extreme winters and subsequent flooding huge amount of deadfall and lumber have piled up in the mouth of Oneonta Gorge. Once the logs have been crossed it's an extremely easy stroll through the creek less than ½ mile to the Lower Oneonta Gorge waterfall.

Oneonta's Narrow Gorge

The water this time of year was extremely comfortable and the deepest pool went up to my waist. I'm 6' 3" and so I may not recommend this hike for smaller children. I chose to wear my Hodgman Wading boots with the felt sole, worked like a charm. Get there early to avoid crowds if you can. I arrived at 8 am and had the Gorge to myself, any earlier and lack of light would be an issue. You also may be wondering if there are dry spots to set you're gear down and set up shot and yes there are plenty of dry areas that are exposed this time of year.

Oneonta Falls

Getting There: Coming from Portland take the Bridal Veil Exit off of I-84 then proceed East passing Multonmah falls by approximately 1 mile. The parking area is well marked on the right side of the road and is denoted by a large sign reading Oneonta Gorge as well as a large wood pedestrian tunnel.

Happy adventures, Shawn…