Hiking, Scrambling And Swimming Oregon’s Oneonta Gorge

Despite the various nicknames bestowed upon me throughout my 20s (all along the lines of “Hippie,” “Nature Girl” and “Treehugger”), I had a love-hate relationship with hiking the great outdoors. Blame my poor, misguided parents, who made my brother and I undertake many forced marches on summer vacations. We hiked all over California, the Pacific Northwest, the Rockies and even Europe. I know, I know – call Child Protective Services.

It is perhaps unsurprising that I rebelled as I grew older. I was quite a sloth in college, despite my love of travel and camping, and not until 2000 did I rekindle my early love affair with walking the woods, deserts and mountains.

I was attending a conference in Portland, Oregon, and decided to spend a few days camping in Columbia River Gorge, an hour east of the city center. The Columbia is the second largest river in North America, covering 1,200 miles, from British Columbia to the central Oregon coast.

The Gorge itself is a stunning 80-mile drive, as well as a world-class wind-surfing destination, important salmon fishery and source of hydroelectric power. You can also kayak, fish and partake in various indigenous cultural events in the area.

During my 2000 visit, it was Indian Summer, and the dry heat combined with cool, mossy canyons, waterfalls (77 in the Gorge in all) and the Douglas fir forest made for enchanting hikes. On one memorable day, I embarked on three separate outings, stopping only when it became too dark to see.

Since then, I’ve returned to the area several times, but my favorite hike remains Oneonta Gorge, which is conveniently located on Oneonta Creek, just off I-84, 35 miles from Portland. Although frequently crowded with day-trippers, it’s such an unusual and beautiful hike (actually, it’s more of a scramble or slog, depending upon the season), it’s worth sharing.

Do note Oneonta requires some serious scrambling over massive boulders and a logjam or two, so you need to be agile and fit to do it. I’ve seen plenty of non-agile, unfit people in inappropriate footwear (tennis shoes, Chaco’s with Vibram soles or Keen shoes are ideal; water socks or high heels aren’t going to cut it) attempt the gorge. It isn’t pretty, and usually results in a homo sapiens jam, if not minor injury.Oneonta is a slot canyon, just 20 feet wide. A half-mile down the creek bed is a 100-foot waterfall that spills into a clear pool. The thing about the gorge is that there’s no trail; you need to either swim, scramble or slosh it.

The first time I visited, the water was so high in October that it hit me mid-chest. Because I don’t relish swimming in snowmelt and I love a challenge, I decided to see if I could climb the entire route without touching the water. To this day, I have no idea how I managed to grip those wet, slippery, craggy canyon walls without falling, but I succeeded. To be honest, I’m still impressed with myself (and rather despondent that I no longer possess that kind of upper body strength).

I’ve also done Oneonta when it’s just ankle-deep, but regardless of water levels, you can always count on its sheer basalt walls to be teeming with ferns, mosses, lichens and other primordial plants. It’s otherworldly in there, and I find it oddly soothing, even with summer crowds. You could go early in the morning to avoid them, but it’s better to wait until for heat of the day, when the cool, misty air of the gorge provides a respite, and the sun’s rays send shafts of light down into its green depths.

For the most diverse hiking experience, I suggest combining Oneonta in combination with the connecting 2.6-miles Horsetail Falls Loop. This extension will take you up into the forest, and provide views of the Columbia River from the Oneonta Bluffs. For the truly lazy, the 176-foot falls are visible from the roadside.

Getting there
Take I-84 East to the Ainsworth Park Exit 35, and make a right (west) on the Historic Columbia River Highway for 1.5 miles, until you reach the Horsetail Falls Trailhead parking lot. Cross the road, head west a few hundred yards through Oneonta Tunnel and you’ll see the “trailhead,” alongside a bridge with a set of decrepit concrete steps. Get ready to wade or scramble.

Tip: Ainsworth State Park is a lovely campground, and open March through October, first-come, first-served.

[Photo credits: gorge, Flickr user McD22; waterfall, Flickr user stokes rx;scramblers, Laurel Miller]

Best spots for an autumn hike

With fall officially upon us, cooler weather has begun to set in, and the green leaves of summer have given way to the bright reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn. For many, this is the best time of the year to head out on a trail for a long hike and to take in this annual color show. Hear are some recommendations for the best places to witness nature’s color palette on display.

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park
The Great Smokey Mountains National Park is one of the most popular in the U.S., pulling in nearly 10 million visitors per year. But in the fall, the crowds begin to thin out, just in time for the leaves to start changing colors. With over 800 miles of trails to explore, there are no lack of great hikes in this park. Be sure to check out the higher elevation trails, such as Sugarland Mountain and Gregory Bald, which offer stunning views throughout October and into November. With sugar and red maples, hickory trees, and scarlet oaks, you’ll have plenty of eye candy to take in.

Allegheny National Forest
Located in northwest Pennsylvania, the Allegheny National Forest is a bit of a hidden gem and mostly unknown outside of the region, which generally translates to smaller crowds. Each fall the half million acres of oaks, poplars, and white ash trees show off a brilliant range of colors to those lucky enough to experience them. While there are miles of trails to choose from, perhaps the best of the best is the Hickory Creek Wilderness Trail, which is 11 miles in length, and cuts through the heart of the forest itself.
Pisgah National Forest
Leaf lovers in North Carolina have plenty to see when they hit the trail in Pisgah National Forest, found not far from Asheville. With the southern Appalachian Mountains as a backdrop, the forest becomes spectacularly colorful in late October, making all of the trails a good bet for a day hike. Take a stroll up Mt. Mitchell, which at 6089 feet in height, offers views that will take your breath away for more reason than one. But when you get to the top, the view is worth the effort.

Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Oregon offers up spectacular scenery all year round, but come fall, the maple trees turn to gold and standout brilliantly against the stark cliff faces. The Gorge has a number of beautiful waterfalls as well, which add even more of allure of a hike through the area. Check out the Multnomah Falls loop trail, which is only about a mile and a half in length, but gains more than 600 feet of altitude along the way. The trail gives hikers a great view of the Gorge, and passes right by one of the most scenic waterfalls in the entire country.

Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula remains a great wilderness escape and one of the best places in the country to enjoy fall foliage. The Escarpment Trail in Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park is amongst the best hikes in the Midwest, and while it is just 4.3 miles in length, it provides spectacular views of the surrounding forest which ring the Lake of the Clouds. In the fall, the hills are ablaze with reds, oranges, and yellows that are just too good to miss.

There you have it. Just a sampling of some of the best fall hikes throughout the U.S. What’s your favorite fall hike? is there a hidden gem that you’d like to share? Leave a comment and tell us all about it!

Fresh Fruits and the Nude Beach of Sauvie Island, Oregon

Portland, Oregon, is home to some wonderful sights and is a terrific, vibrant town nestled in some of the best scenery in the country. But, however picturesque the city is, you might still need to “get away from it all.” One of the best places to go is a small alluvial island near the convergence of the Columbia and Willamette (pronounced will-A-mit, sounds like “dammit”) rivers, called Sauvie Island.

It’s actually minutes from the center of town, but it’s worlds away. Here, the lovable hippie-grunginess of the Pacific Northwest meets the quaintness of Tuscany and the vistas of Switzerland. You can find ‘u-pick’ farms growing vegetables and flowers, along with dairy cows, horses, and a big wildlife preserve. There are camping locations, nature trails and beaches.

Right now is the time to head there to grab your late-summer-harvest fresh foods. Make sure to try the different berries indigenous to this region, such as the marionberry, which even grow wild on the roadsides. If you are not afraid of starches, test your orientation skills in the Corn Maize, an annual maze cut through a farmer’s field. A tip for runners or cyclists: the paved portion of the island is a scenic 12-mile loop of good, flat pavement.

The best time to go is early morning, when the quiet little rural island is still waking up. Clear days offer gorgeous views of both Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood and very little traffic. It’s common legend that it has Portland’s only nude beach; but this, I can neither confirm or deny. I can confirm, however, as a former resident, that the legendary Pacific Northwest “Pillsbury-doughboy tan” can be spotted here, in the wild.