Gorge Hike- The Million Dollar Experience

Horsetail Falls / Oneonta Gorge Hike Trails 438/400 > 424 GTH 5/22/2006

The Million Dollar Experience

Getting There:

Light rain was left behind pulling out of Portland that morning. Scattered splatterings of precipitation continued to fall as we drove east on I-84. No mountains were out, but the clouds gradually lightened, and the drizzle fell less frequently.

Peeling off the interstate, we wound our way up to the historic scenic highway at Corbett and hugged the curves of the Columbia Gorge cliffs to the Vista House at Crown Point. The clouds lifted more and we could see Beacon Rock and the terraced cliffs of the gorge a ways into the distance.

Continuing East along the Historic Columbia River Highway, we glimpsed numerous waterfalls from the road: Latourell Falls' 249' plunging plume, Shepperd's Dell's obscured falls, Wahkeena (Yakima for “most beautiful”) Fall's 242' cascading torrent, and magestic Multnomah Fall's 620' drop. About a half mile past Oneonta Creek, we parked in the lot across from Horsetail Falls.

176' Horsetail Falls is the classic example of its eponymous “horsetail” waterfall type. The water cascades out over the lip of a basalt channel, so that it falls in a manner that resembles a horse's tail – rather narrow and constricted at the top, and plunging a bit wider on its way down.

Horsetail Falls churns into a pool right next to the road, so the first leg of our hike was only a few hundred level feet. We stood next to the stone wall and felt the force of moist air – about as sweet and fresh as you'll find. Instant waterfall.

The Hike:

Peeling ourselves away from the mesmerizing boil of Horsetail Falls' churning cauldron, we started hiking east up trail 438, which soon joined with the trans-gorge trail 400 and switchbacked to the west, easily climbing up over 300 feet in less than half a mile.

The trail dipped down into the basalt bowl carved out by Ponytail Falls (also known as “Upper Horsetail Falls”) and we crawled into the cavern behind the 80-foot plunging waterfall. We briefly shared the moment with some tourists, but they turned back and we clambered over the rocks by the pool and explored the nooks and crannies of the cavern. Then we continued on west along trail 438/400.

Over the next mile, the trail climbed above 400 feet, but was mostly fairly flat and parallel to the highway. A clifftop viewpoint allowed a look out over the Columbia Gorge before the trail curved back south along the steep cliffs of Oneonta Gorge. Another viewpoint just before the first bridge provided a spectacular perspective deep into the narrow, slot-like gorge, with mossy and lichened cliffs sheerly dropping hundreds of feet to the stream far below.

One point three miles into the hike found us crossing the first bridge over Oneonta Creek, and meeting up with the Oneonta Trail (424) on the west side. We turned and went south along the Oneonta trail, running up the rocky slope feeling the exhilaration of our adventure. We climbed another 450' through old growth Douglas Firs over the next mile, and then descended a bit to the second bridge, just above Triple Falls.

We crossed the rough-hewn log bridge and found a picnic spot on the east bank of the stream. The three eroded channels of Triple Falls were at our feet to our left, and to our right, the valley spread out 135' below our perch.

After a snack and a good rest, we charged south on up the Oneonta Creek trail, climbing another 600 feet over 1.2 miles to the third bridge and the juncture of the Horsetail Creek Trail (425). Andrew took a streamside break, while I scouted out a few switchbacks further along the trail.

We paused long enough to soak in the awe and wonder of the wild and gorgeous scenery. The sun was shining, and the air was the delicious blend of piny woods and fresh-scrubbed waterfall spray. Standing on the bridge, we saw a dipper (“water ouzel”) bobbing along the rounded boulders in the stream. Eventually, with a twinge of regret, we picked up our packs and started back sown the Oneonta Trail.

The going was easy back downhill. We let gravity pull and ran down some of the straighter sections. Soon we were back to the second bridge at Triple Falls, and we took another break at the viewpoint northwest of the falls. Andrew compared the hiking experience to having a million dollars, and expressed feeling of familiarity, even though he had never been there before. We agreed that it was magical.

Zipping on down the trail, we met up with the Horsetail Falls Trail juncture, but continued north along the Oneonta Trail on the west side of the creek. We took the side trail out to some viewpoints when the trail turned west, and climbed out on some rock pinnacles for excellent vistas of the Columbia Gorge. A bald eagle soared through the sky below our lofty perch. We discovered a geocache cache near the “Oneonta #2” USGS marker, but didn't take or leave anything in it. A little further along the trail, Andrew spotted a strikingly colored bird. It had a red head, a yellow body, and a black back and wings. It was a male Western Tanager, a rare sighting, as they are often in the forest canopy, where they are seen and not heard – and a sure sign of summer, as the exotic birds winter in the tropics.

The trail switchbacked east down the hill, and we came out at the Oneonta trailhead on the historic Columbia Highway. We strolled east along the highway's shoulder and gazed up at the rocky crags where we had stood not long before.

A brief side trip had us climb the stairs down to Oneonta Creek, where we explored streamside, hopping over rocks toward the logjam and entrance of the narrow box canyon. Then we continued along the highway for the last quarter mile to finish where we started at the foot of Horsetail Falls.

We were on the trail for about 5 hours, but we paused frequently, so we probably covered the 7 miles in less than 4 hours of actually hiking. We gained and lost over 1200 feet over the hike.

Rain in town turned to gorgeous weather, and we experienced many of the wonders that the Northwest has to offer on our million dollar hike.

Trip Highlights:

Drive-by sights: Vista House, Latourell Falls, Shepperd's Dell, Wahkeena Falls, Misty Falls, Multnomah Falls and Horsetail Falls

Hiking Highlights: Ponytail Falls, Oneonta Gorge, Triple Falls, other, unnamed falls, cliff-top Gorge views, a bald eagle, a western tanager, and a dipper

Best Quote: “This feels like a million dollars. I mean, the air, the waterfalls, the woods, the trail – this hike is better than what having a million dollars must feel like.”

Trip summary: miles elevation

Horsetail Falls t railhead -start- 45'

Trail 438/400 to Ponytail Falls 0.4 240'

Columbia Gorge overlook 0.4 420'

Bridge #1 / Oneonta Trail jct. 0.5 290'

Bridge #2 / Triple Falls 0.9 600'

Bridge #3 /Horsetail Creek trail 1.2 1280'

-- Turnaround point -- -- --

Triple Falls overlook 1.2 600'

Bridge # 1 0.9 290'

Columbia Gorge overlooks 0.2 200'

Historic Highway 0.7 50'

Oneonta Gorge road bridge 0.2 30'

Horsetail Falls trailhead 0.3 45'

3.5 miles in up 1200 feet

3.5 miles out

7.0 miles total (plus side-trips)