hiking
birding
nature trips
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waterfall
Nestled in the awe-inspiring Columbia River Gorge, Ainsworth is equal parts waterfall wonderland, hiker's playground and camper's delight. Situated at the eastern end of Historic Highway 30, from Ainsworth to Crown Point to the west, you'll find the world's greatest concentration of high waterfalls (like Multnomah Falls). By leaving the park on Nesmith Point trail, you'll end up with a splendid view of St. Peter's Dome, a majestic basalt monolith rising 2,000 feet above the mighty Columbia River. Hiking is definitely something you'll want to do while camping at Ainsworth State Park. Back at the campground, you'll find 45 peaceful full-service campsites canopied in a laid-back, tree-filled setting. There are also four walk-in tent sites for a more primitive camping experience. This is a classic campground ... the smell of a campfire is your constant companion. Flush toilets, showers, a camp host, firewood and an amphitheater with interpretive programs are all here. Top it off with a roaring creek at the east end of the park, and you have all the makings for a great camping trip.
The Oneonta Falls are CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE due to the massive Columbia River Gorge fire of 2017. Please check the link below for updates.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/crgnsa/alerts-notices/?aid=41589
does anyone know someone to contact for a reopen date of this trail?
This was my first more serious day hike, my only downfall was being the first person up there in the morning... So many cobwebs to walk through....
is it closed?when will be open?
I wish I could give this 5 stars. The falls and the gorge are absolutely breathtaking. However, it is way too crowded. What makes you think everyone wants to listen to the rap music playing out of your portable speaker? It reverberates throughout the entire gorge. Did I also mention the stench of cigarette and weed smoke?
Bottom line:
If you want to party and socialize, come here during the warmer months.
If you want to actually enjoy this place properly, I suggest coming here during winter.
Is closed we don't. Have access to go up.
My favorite hike of the trip! Climbing over the log jam in the beginning was like an obstacle course and was awesome! We weren't prepared for the water to be so deep in some places....turned around right before the first waterfall because we just did this trail on a whim and didn't bring towels or extra clothes. Definitely want to go back and do this one again though!
long walk in the woods with rocks. closer to 14miles though. summit was beautiful. don't be mad when you get to the top and discover after all the sweating and pushing through the last couple miles to the top that there is a darn parking lot you could have driven to
Very fun little hike. Come prepared with rugged water shoes. Waded through waist deep frigid water after climbing a hefty slippery log pile. It was all worth it for the quick swim in the waterfall at the end. Come early, it got very crowded. The crowd does take away from the majestic beauty. Which is why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars . You probably won't find solitude here on the weekends. I will definitely try it out again
Too crowded
Excellent day hike with secluded waterfalls and trails.
Jenice A. on Oneonta Gorge Trail [CLOSED]
Fun hike but short. I loved all of it even scrambling over the huge log pile in the beginning.
So much fun. Waterfall at the end is just ok (I went in August, prob more robust in spring) but loved climbing over the logs and wading through the creek. Short hike, but this hike is definitely more about the journey than the destination.
Exotic enveloped watery log laden trail. Dangerous for old folks, younger folks, and animals. Expect to get soaked. Would have been five stars but swamped by hikers takes away some of the majesty of the moment. Still very fun and met cool people!...but also a couple shitty people.
Great short little hike but not a hike for dogs because there are a ton of logs in the middle of the gorge right now that you have to climb over. We had to carry the dog over it and was very difficult/dangerous
Basically I got in about 3 or so miles, and the trail disappeared. I risked trying to find the remaining trail, and almost got lost so I turned around.
Sucks because this could have been a good hike. I advise bringing a map and gps. All this app does is record your location, it won't upload once you lost service.
Happy Hiking !
All in all the views and surroundings of this hike are beautiful. Only real drawback is the crowds of people who flock to this spot. That said, everyone was kind and considerate to each other but not the best hike for someone looking for solitude.
So fun. Bring water shoes!
The trailhead is a steep 2.5 miles up to see the triple falls. We did half of that hike before realizing we really wanted to just walk through the gorge to see the lower falls. This is where all the people were. Quite crowded on a hot day, but fun.
Nice place!
Only went up to the arch but it was a difficult climb. A mile straight of hands and feet. Way down was worse
went hiking through the creek part of the trail to lower Oneonta Falls. taking this route you have to climb over a series of logs and walk through the creek with the water being atleast waist high, but it is worth it to see the falls up close and below it. this is not the recommended path, but most everyone takes this path.
The trail to the first very picturesque waterfall in the canyon is only a few hundred yards and will take only 10 minutes to reach the falls. Following the trail to Tripple Falls and the upper falls is very sketchy is several areas as it has been washed away. At the trailhead the sign says "Triple Falls 1.3 miles" after hiking for an hour you will come across another sign that also says "Triple Falls 1.3 miles"...
Not sure how this hike is 4.9 miles? It was like a mile maybe round trip. Is there another trail that I am not aware of? Beautiful and fun none the less!
Walked the gorge today and it was so beautiful despite being a cloudy day, though I can imagine when it's sunny it's even more beautiful. Water is as cold as you can imagine, and despite loosing all feeling in my feet I still managed to swim up to the waterfall. I'm 5'6 and the deepest part you have to walk through came to right at my pelvis. Cold. Be prepared with extra clothes in your car! Def recommend but on a hot day!
can't wait to go back! it was adventurous and fun!
This place is amazing
It's a nice hike up on the oneonata trails and beautiful when you go on the separate trail near the bridge through the water to the waterfall
great trail. note, must be done clockwise. first time I tried it, I freaked out a little along a knife edge by devil's backbone and came back down past rock of ages. bad call. the scramble going up is 10x worse coming down. this trail has literally a little bit of everything: scramble, early on views, old growth forest, switchbacks down a mountain side, River crossings, and water falls. the only thing it's short on is views. also, it is a bit longer than advertised- I clocked 10.6 miles on my gps. also, entrance to the rock of ages trail is a bit tricky- easily missed. there's also a branch that goes to the right above the falls. once you get to rock of ages, there are a few branch trails here and there but they always rejoin.