Upper Oneonta Falls
Multnomah County, Oregon
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- 65 ft (19.8 m)
- Location
- Multnomah County, Oregon
- Access status
- Partial guide: only the top of the falls is visible from the trail; no route to the base
- The walk
- No distance to the viewpoint is given; it is on the way to Triple Falls, a 3.6-mile round trip
- Ground & access
- Steep slopes, recurring slide gullies and burned forest. Keep children and dogs close at viewpoints.
Upper Oneonta Falls (marked Oneonta Falls on topographic maps) plunges 65 feet into a deep amphitheater on Oneonta Creek. From the Oneonta Trailhead, the Oneonta Trail climbs, turns left at the Gorge Trail junction, and enters the Oneonta Gorge. Past the junction with the Horsetail Falls Trail and the wilderness permit box, the trail climbs to a pair of switchbacks high above the amphitheater, where you can see only the very top of the falls. The old scramble paths to the base have disappeared since the 2017 fire, and no route to the base is established.
Plan your visit
Oneonta Trailhead on the Historic Columbia River Highway, Oneonta Trail #424 to switchbacks above the amphitheater of Upper Oneonta Falls
Oregon Hikers places the view of the top of Upper Oneonta Falls at a pair of switchbacks on the Oneonta Trail past the Horsetail Falls Trail junction, on the way to Triple Falls. The Triple Falls hike is 3.6 miles round trip. No separate distance to the view is given.
Steep slopes, recurring slide gullies and burned forest. Keep children and dogs close at viewpoints.
Where to start
Small lot on the left side of the Historic Columbia River Highway just before Oneonta Gorge, 5.1 miles east of I-84 Exit 28. Car break-ins are common; do not leave valuables.
Timing & water
Oregon Hikers lists the Triple Falls hike as year round except during winter storms.
Before you go
No fee is mentioned.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
Middle Oneonta FallsGorge trail past Ponytail Falls to a footbridge view24 ft (7.3 m) · Multnomah County, OR0.2 miN
Oneonta FallsPartial guide: only a partial view of the upper falls from the trail; the gorge route to the base is closed98 ft (30 m) · Multnomah County, OR0.2 miN- Triple FallsParking location unconfirmed64 ft (19.5 m) · Multnomah County, OR0.3 miS
Ponytail FallsResearched visit notes88 ft (26.8 m) · Multnomah County, OR0.5 miNE- Waespe FallsMultnomah County, OR0.5 miNW
Horsetail FallsResearched walking route214 ft (65.2 m) · Multnomah County, OR0.5 miN- Ecola FallsBusy trail from Multnomah Falls Lodge past the top of the falls55 ft (16.7 m) · Multnomah County, OR1.8 miW
Wiesendanger FallsResearched walking route49 ft (15 m) · Multnomah County, OR1.8 miW- Dutchman FallsPaved and dirt trail above Multnomah Falls; summer parking permits33 ft (10 m) · Multnomah County, OR1.8 miW