About Middle Oneonta Falls
The Middle Oneonta Falls was one of four waterfalls on the Oneonta Creek within the Oneonta Gorge.
It got the name “middle” because there was another waterfall immediately downstream of it (called the Lower Oneonta Falls) as well one a short distance upstream, which some in the literature have called it the Upper Oneonta Falls or just Oneonta Falls.
So far, that upper waterfall remained elusive as the only way to reach it was either an upstream stream scramble from this middle waterfall or by a sketchy steep scramble into the base of the Oneonta Gorge from the trail to the Triple Falls (the fourth and uppermost of the Oneonta Creek waterfalls).
Anyways, the middle waterfall was on the order of 20-30ft tall so it was modestly-sized and really more of an incidental attraction on the way to other larger waterfalls in the area.
I managed to reach this waterfall about 0.6 miles into the Oneonta Trail towards Triple Falls.
There was a branch in that trail that descended to the left along a couple of short switchbacks before reaching a bridge over Oneonta Creek.
Right from that bridge was the view of the Middle Oneonta Falls.
This was the shortest approach to reach the falls.
It was also possible to hike up from Horsetail Falls, continue past Ponytail Falls, then eventually descend to this footbridge from the other side.
That hike would have been 1.2 miles one-way, where it would be 2.4 miles round trip or a 1.8-mile one-way shuttle hike ending at the Oneonta Trailhead.
Authorities
Middle Oneonta Falls resides in the Oneonta Gorge section of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.
The trailheads are either for the Oneonta Trail (see the Triple Falls page for its directions) or for the car park of Horsetail Falls (see its page for directions).
For some geographical context, Portland was about 49 miles (over an hour drive) west of Cascade Locks, 75 miles (90 minutes drive) west of Hood River, 80 miles (1.5 hours drive) east of Cannon Beach, 112 miles (under 2 hours drive) north of Eugene, 274 miles (over 4 hours drive) north of Medford, 173 miles (about 2.5 hours drive) south of Seattle, Washington, 440 miles (7 hours drive) west of Boise, Idaho, and 423 miles (6.5 hours drive) north of Redding, California.
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Checking out the Middle Oneonta Falls in every way possible from the bridge
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