A hidden gem in the interior of Historic Columbia River Highway, this is a very unique 1.5 mile round trip hike. Whereas hikes are usually along a river/shoreline, the trail for Oneonta Gorge is the river itself. Thats right, be prepared to climb above and under massive tree trunks, and then go shoulder deep into freezing gorge water to reach the absolutely stunning waterfall at the end of the gorge.
Words cannot explain what our eyes captured and our souls felt on this eventful day. It was  the feeling in my half numb toes, the wind from the force of the waterfall in my hair, the fine spray of clearwater on my face. The sounds of people squealing as they entered the freezing water, and those voices being drowned by the thundering sounds as we approached the waterfall. The silence and awe in the air when we reached the end of the gorge and the canopy of water welcomed us.
This one will always hold a special place in my tiny little world.
dustyshoesandbeautifulviews 
WOW this is beautiful! Hope is it well maintained and preserved for the next years. So lucky indeed!
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This is so lovely, what a great waterfall. I get why it is so busy and hope it does stay as beautiful as your pictures show.
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I love the waterfall! 1.5 miles is totally do-able for that view! What was the elevation like?
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The waterfall is gorgeous! I have never hiked through a river before but I can imagine it is much harder than on dry land. But 1.5 miles is not that bad 🙂
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This should be an amazing place: this is the impression I had by looking at your pictures and reading your post. Must be very popular considring how many people are visiting the place!
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So beautifully captured in words and pics. Definitely a fun place to visit though I would be a little wary of the crowds.
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Can you give us some info on where this is and how to get there, and such? The people standing in the water look happy, but chilly.
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Hike through the gorge definitely sounds tough but who would not want to take that trouble when something so gorgeous and wonderful is awaiting you at the end of that strenuous journey. Beautiful pictures!
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I love how you describe your hike – reminds me of when I hiked through many of the trails of Oregon and Washington. What a cool find, and so worth the effort of getting there!
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Whoa! The experience of standing below that water fall!
That must have been wonderful for sure. I can understand why the pic is precious! 🙂
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This is a beautiful place. I must say being a monday, the crowd was still quite big. Is it usual to have such crowds on weekdays ? Or maybe this crowd is solely of the tourists and less of the locals?
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This looks like a beautiful place to explore.Love your directions.Very busy still for a Monday.
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Yet another reason I need to visit Oregon. This looks so beautiful! You took some great pictures!
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This is the second post about Oregon that I read this week, and you’re convincing me quite fast that I need to visit soon! 🙂
Such an incredible nature and landscape, that waterfall looks just amazing!
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I love that you can get in the water at the bottom of the waterfall and look up. Such a place of untouched natural beauty!
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How scenic and incredibly beautiful! The photos are breathtaking! I can see that many locals enjoy the water and the natural beauty in Oregon!
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I love your descriptive writing! It was like I almost felt that wind and water on my face! Thank you for discovering this hidden gem, it looks so beautiful. I totally understand your feelings and excitement. I also hiked to find a similar waterfall in February.
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That waterfall is beautiful nothing better than getting the spray from the fall on your face. And great tip about avoiding the busy weekend.
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This historic Columbia River Highway looks breathtaking and you’ve captured it very nicely! Thanks for sharing about your trip in this post!
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This Gorge is really scenic. With that waterfall, the entire place actually looks quite breathtaking. Certainly a view and place to admire.
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