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Middle Oneonta Falls

Columbia River Gorge / Oneonta Gorge, Oregon, USA

About Middle Oneonta Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

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.

Triple_Falls_CRG_043_08172017 - Middle Oneonta Falls as seen from the footbridge spanning its creek
Middle Oneonta Falls as seen from the footbridge spanning its creek

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.

Columbia_River_Gorge_308_03302009 - Middle Oneonta Falls as seen in higher early Spring flow from the footbridge over Oneonta Creek
Middle Oneonta Falls as seen in higher early Spring flow from the footbridge 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.

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Tagged with: columbia river gorge, oneonta, multnomah, oregon, waterfall, pacific northwest



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.