Tamanawas Falls is one of my favorite waterfalls I've seen in Oregon…read more I've hiked it twice now-- once this past summer with my cousin, and more recently, last week. The hike is about three and a half miles round trip, with about 600 feet in elevation gain. Some light scrambling is necessary to get up close to the waterfall. There is a decent sized parking area at the trail head. Parking is $5 or free with a valid recreation pass. The waterfall itself is a hundred foot tall curtain. While it's only about one third the size, the shape reminds me of Vernal Fall in Yosemite. The basalt underneath the waterfall is very pretty and interesting to examine. There were lots of yellow trees (in October) including maple and Tamarack. I've read that you can go behind this waterfall, but I did not, since I'm a chicken, and like to play it safe around water. The hike was a little harder than it sounds, but still definitely doable within a couple of hours. There are a few campgrounds nearby, including Sherwood, Pollalie, and Nottingham.

We were in the area and wanted to do a little hike. We found the Tamanawas falls hike and was…read moredescribed as an easy to moderate hike. The first mile was an easy dirt path with a modest elevation climb. When you turn away from the highway and cross the creek the trail turns a little rocky. The next mile and a half of the trail is intermittent mud and a lot of areas quite rocky. When you're about 300 yards or so from the waterfalls you'll encounter a rock slide that is one long boulder hop with some areas -that are quite treacherous. Once you get past the mudslide it's a short walk to the payoff. The waterfall is very stunning. We sat and gathered ourselves close to the base and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The hike back seemed a lot shorter because we knew what we were encountering. The hike was described as a 4 mile hike we clocked it closer to 5 miles. Not a big deal but if you can get past the Boulder scramble the payoff is worth it. We definitely will do this hike again if in the area. There is a 5 dollar parking fee or the America the beautiful park pass we leave on the dash. There is a kiosk for the five dollar option at the trail head.

This hike was an easy hike but has a lot of foliage to see as well as hearing the stream the entire…read morehike was amazing. It's a pretty straight shot hike out and hike back. Make sure if you are using all trails you download the map before you get into the hike as you lose service half way up the road to the hike. They have port a potty to use and good parking.

This is an awesome trail! Drive about 17 miles past Sandy and turn right onto Salmon River Road…read more Drive another 2.5 miles on a paved path to a gravel parking lot. (Technically, you need a recreation pass to park at the trailhead.) The trail starts right there. It is about 1.9 miles out and another 1.9 miles back. The path is fairly flat and it goes right next to the Salmon River. The road is on your other side but you hardly notice it thanks to the sound of the river and the beautiful forest. There are some creeks that cross the trail, so wear waterproof shoes. When I visited in December, one creek crossing was big enough that I could not cross in my short booties and with my little dog so we turned around early. Would love to come back!

Little Zigzag Falls, Welches, Oregon. Sept, 2024…read more What a great little hike! Located in the Mt. Hood National Forest, this is an easy-to-access trail a few paved miles off OR-26. The parking area, with space for maybe 20 or so cars, is at the end of the road. There are trail signs, as well as a porta-potty. You need a Northwest Forest Pass, or NPS pass, to park here but they are not sold on-site. (You can purchase at the Zigzag Ranger District @ 70220 E. Highway 26 in Zigzag). The Forest Service (FS) describes the trail as a "gentle uphill trail located in a narrow canyon next to the Little Zigzag River." The shaded and mostly smooth trail ends at the falls. There are some rocks and roots but overall it's quite smooth. Also, per the Forest Service, it's a great hike for kids, but supervision along the riverside is a must. We note that the stream was exceptionally fast-moving and the falls he a lot of water in mid-September The FS describes the trail as having a distance of 0.5 miles (one way), but All Trails lists it as 0.6 for BOTH ways and my watch recorded 0.7 for both. The trail is at an elevation of around 3,250 feet, and is snow-free from June to November. There's a nice shaded picnic table near the start of the trail. There's also a wooden bench near the falls. The trail is not wheelchair accessible.

Nice, easy hike with an awesome payoff at the end. The parking lot is pretty spacious. The hike is…read morevery short itself so perfect for families. Great views at the end.

Moderately easy 7+ mile loop. Got there just before 8am and there were 8 cars in the lot. 3 hours…read morelater there was no parking. Early! Always get there early! The river crossing is a real thing, but I saw all levels of age/fitness/size/canine/hooman making it, so you can too! Today there was one log. Not a selection of logs, just one. And it was alone, there was no log acting as a railing. You're in the air, friends. Or in the river, but at least it's only 1 mile back to your car in icy clothing if you tumble in. I slid across on my ass, shameless! On the way back I slowly balanced my way across. Made it. So can you! You will be rewarded. The falls are in my Oregon top 5, and I've been to Silver Falls so now you know. The walk is through old growth, lots of storm down trees but they've all been cut so they aren't blocking the trail. It was cold today, in the 40s, so the usual advice about layering holds. Even on a nice day you'll be in shade a lot of the way. Boots if you have 'em. Oh and hey! Today the parking lot trashcan was full and overflowing. If I had remembered to bring a big trash bag, which I often do, I would have picked it up. If you're feeling love for the outdoors, will you consider bringing a big gladd trashbag just in case? Mother earth thanks you.

Stunning second half. Did the loop and was very happy we didn't double back. The falls are…read moregorgeous, the river crossing was pretty easy this time of year. I found it a pleasant hike, we clocked 7.5 miles. Plenty of parking.

So I was very disappointed when me and my wife took a day trip and tried to find these caves. It…read moreled us to the small town of Detroit dead center of the town no one there or anywhere around had a clue or have ever heard of this place. There's no direction of where to go how to find it or anything else. This was a complete waste of time and we ended up try to go to Brighton Bush we made it, but it was 30 mile detour a huge pain in the ass and then they were completely full when we got there so ended up taking a trip to Bagby instead and we were glad we could soak in a tub because bagby it's pretty much falling apart

A well-known secret among landscape photographers, Boca Cave is a pretty spectacular place…read more The hike is short. The cave is enormous, but not "spooky". The mouth of the cave almost perfectly-aligns with a view of Oregon's second-tallest peak: Mt Jefferson. Proof of intelligent design?! You access the cave by taking a slight detour on the way up to Triangulation Peak. Enough babbling, just go there. It's not close to any major metro, but it's worth the drive.

Best time for this hike is end of April and May when the wildflowers are in bloom and cover the…read morehillsides with purple widow's grass, yellow balsam root, blue lupine and lavendar bachelor buttons. It's my favorite time to be in this area! Best place to park is right before the Mosier Creek Bridge as you leave the tiny two block downtown area. As you begin the hike you come to the cemetery of the founding father's of this charming town. Continue for another 10 minutes to the falls and the swimming hole below. The falls are small, not like the 7 popular falls you see along the Old Historic Highway by Multnomah Falls, but still lovely. Continue on and up where views of the Columbia River from this vantage point are breathtaking. The river widens In this area and slight turns as it makes it's way through Mosier and onto Rowena making for a beautiful vista to take in and photo ops. Unlike at Rowena Plateau and Tom McCall Preserve, dogs are allowed on these trails.

Pretty fun trail with a variety of sites!…read more There's a small parking area right in town just on the other side of the bridge from where the trail begins. You can make a very short hike of it and just go to the falls. Or you can continue on from there and complete the approximately 3 mile out and back with a small loop at the top...I recommend the latter. There's nice signage at the start explaining some trail details. You'll pass by a cool, tiny cemetery and venture on to the falls. Mosier Falls was a bit more substantial than I'd expected, set in a pretty canyon with an overlook for your viewing pleasure. Should you wish to continue on the trail...and you really should...you'll start up the side of the hill on switchbacks and stairs to the top. Tiny flowers popping up were blanketing the entire hillside, and I'm guessing it'll be quite a show in couple of weeks. After zigging and zagging multiple times you'll reach the top and come to an overview with spectacular views of the gorge. There's a bench there should you need a little rest or just wish to sit and take in the view for a bit. From the viewpoint you'll see the dirt trail continue on. It meanders further down to the end of the line...a short loop that offers even more gorge views. The trail is quite narrow and fairly unshaded most of the way and there are regular signs warning hikers of private property lines. We enjoyed it on a Saturday morning, along with quite a few other hikers. It's a decent workout, a pretty waterfall, and some beautiful gorge views...not too shabby!

I LOVED this trail. So much fun with so much to see along the way and gorgeous views of the gorge…read moreand Mt Hood. The Labyrinth links to a few trails including Coyote Wall. Although the Labyrinth alone is shown as a 3 1/2 mile out and back there is a link trail at Labyrinth Falls that shoots over the ridge and towards Little Maui Falls Trail and Coyote, as well as a signed junction pointing you towards each falls. These trails are clearly popular with bikers and hikers. Signage states that dogs have to be leashed December to July. Aside from the constant epic views, the landscape is unique with streams, falls, springtime flowers, and (I assume) ground squirrels popping up and down from their homes. We started at the trailhead at the junction of Old Hwy 8 and the 14 at Rowland Lake. There's a small parking area there with more parking along the 8. The trail actually starts by heading up the semi-creepy abandoned hwy 8 where you'll quickly encounter Lower Labyrinth Falls. Soon you'll encounter trail signage that'll lead you on your way. Just a stunning trail, other worldly. We only covered part of the trails available in the area and can't wait to return for more!

Located just off the Columbia River Gorge lies this beautiful, unique waterfall that flows…read morebeautifully down the rocky moss. Getting here on the side road can be a little risky, so please drive safe, drive slow, and share the road. Parking is right after the crossing signal in an open dirt lot across from the falls. There's two paths, the upper view point which will no give you the view you see in Al the pictures, but it's easy for a quick teaser. Stay to the left and up to go down to the falls and there you'll see this beautiful fall. The path can get muddy from the cliffs and water running on the sides. The multiple fall streams on the moss is what makes this fall so eye pleasing. The rocks are slippery so mind to the paths and enjoy beautiful fall!

Well what can I say besides this is one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on. The hike…read moreto get to the waterfall is short enough and once you get there, you could literally watch the water fall for hours. It looks like something out of a movie, a fantasy movie with fairies and goddesses. The path to get there can be a little bit narrow, so I recommend wearing shoes with good grip and don't take too much with you, it's best to pack light for this one. You could truly sit there for hours with nothing but the water entertaining you. It's so pure and cleansing and definitely something you will think about the rest of your day, if not week. I highly recommend this beautiful aspect of nature.

The water definitely is amazing , however the hike itself not that much . The route we took was…read moremostly further away from the water and hence not a whole lot to watch on the way but there were multiple waterfalls and creeks etc that you can take a break at and enjoy the cold water and the Sun.Part of the hike was closed which was disappointing but we did the whole 7 mile through a different route .Wished we could have seen the mining villages .It took us approx 1.5 hours to get there from Portland .Parking is limited however since we went on a Weekday it wasn't a problem for us . Also , the crowds were thin , so we really had a great time.

OMG What a great place to hike and swim…read more We went with a big group so we had to break up into two groups. The parking lot is small and they will turn people away if it is full. Luck we made it before they hit maximum. Three miles and a half makes for a long hike but well worth it. The trail follows the creek and is actually the service road for Jawbone Flats. It's an easy hike up and down both ways. You are rewarded with beautiful cool dip in the crystal clear pools. Alternatively there are two hiking trails, one on each side of the creek, you can venture on through this beautiful forest. Afterward we went to the local restaurant at the highway. They had good food and beer.