Tamanawas Falls
​Hike details:
Mileage: 3.5 miles round trip w/ 600 ft. elevation gain
Approximate hike time: 1 hour 30 minutes w/ an average pace of 2.3 mph
Difficulty: Moderate (due to some treacherous trail tread)
Trail usage: Very high on weekends year-round, medium to high on summer weekdays
Highest elevation: 3,534 ft. Lowest elevation: 2,948 ft.
General location: 74 miles east of Portland - Mount Hood National Forest
Accessible: Year-round
(Best time to go for hiking is June for best waterfall flow and October for prime fall foliage. Best time to go for beautiful snowy conditions is January and February).
Permits required: Northwest Forest Pass for parking May 15 - October 1
Pit toilet at trailhead: Yes
Trail allows: Dogs on leash
Possible dangers: Rocky trail
Approximate hike time: 1 hour 30 minutes w/ an average pace of 2.3 mph
Difficulty: Moderate (due to some treacherous trail tread)
Trail usage: Very high on weekends year-round, medium to high on summer weekdays
Highest elevation: 3,534 ft. Lowest elevation: 2,948 ft.
General location: 74 miles east of Portland - Mount Hood National Forest
Accessible: Year-round
(Best time to go for hiking is June for best waterfall flow and October for prime fall foliage. Best time to go for beautiful snowy conditions is January and February).
Permits required: Northwest Forest Pass for parking May 15 - October 1
Pit toilet at trailhead: Yes
Trail allows: Dogs on leash
Possible dangers: Rocky trail
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Description:The hike to Tamanawas Falls is one of the most popular hikes in the Mount Hood area and you will find throngs of people here year-round. This waterfall is one of those special hikes that is different during all four seasons, and it is worth checking out in spring, summer, fall and winter. If you want to get a parking spot, this is one of those trailheads that you have to get to before 9am. If you are camping at one of the nearby campgrounds, or you're driving past the trailhead in the late afternoon/early evening, there will likely be plenty of parking after 5:30pm. Especially during the longer summer days, making this short hike an evening excursion is the way to go, and you might even have the waterfall all to yourself.
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(bridge crossing the East Fork Hood River)
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The trail starts off by crossing the East Fork Hood River and then you will turn right onto the East Fork Trail #650. This trail takes you north for half a mile through a beautiful forest, until you see another trail junction. Here the East Fork Trail continues north for another 1.1 miles to the Polallie Trailhead (another parking option if the Tamanawas Trailhead parking is full). You will go left and follow the Tamanawas Falls Trail #650A across the North Fork Cold Spring Creek via sturdy log bridge.
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(log bridge crossing the North Fork Cold Spring Creek)
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(example of the trail tread)
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From the creek crossing, the rocky trail follows the creek up the canyon through a canopy of Engelmann spruce trees, western red-cedar, Douglas fir, vine maple and alder. There are a few mini waterfalls along the way where one can stop to admire the creek. Even in the heat of the summer, the banks of the creek are lush and mossy.
Continuing up the canyon, you will eventually climb above the creek a bit and see huge walls of andesite rock, where large chunks have broken off and obscured the original trail over the years. Here you have to climb over huge rocks, which can be slippery when wet after a rain, and when there is dust on them in the summer. |
After the rocky section, the trail climbs steeply up for just another few yards before the view opens up and you see Tamanawas Falls in the distance. This waterfall stands at 109 feet tall and tumbles over a beautiful basalt rock cliff. According to www.waterfallsnorthwest.com "Tamanawas Falls was originally known as Giffords Falls, after photographer Benjamin A. Gifford, whose photos documented the falls in 1909 - whether he should be properly credited with discovery or first documentation of the falls is not known. The current name, derived from a Chinook word which means "friendly or guardian spirit" was officially adopted in 1971."
The trail ends at the rocky edge of the creek and the base of the waterfall. There are lots of places to view the falls from, but if you are here when there are a lot of other people around, please be courteous and don't stand in front of the waterfall for pictures for too long, as others want to get the shot as well and may not want other people in their photos. If you are here in the winter, please be careful, as the snow can cover the edge of where the creek is, so make sure not to get too close. Once you have enjoyed viewing and taking pictures of Tamanawas Falls and having a little snack break, you will head back the way you came.
The trail ends at the rocky edge of the creek and the base of the waterfall. There are lots of places to view the falls from, but if you are here when there are a lot of other people around, please be courteous and don't stand in front of the waterfall for pictures for too long, as others want to get the shot as well and may not want other people in their photos. If you are here in the winter, please be careful, as the snow can cover the edge of where the creek is, so make sure not to get too close. Once you have enjoyed viewing and taking pictures of Tamanawas Falls and having a little snack break, you will head back the way you came.
(Tamanawas Falls 109 ft.)
(pine tree growing out of a rock)
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(Tamanawas Falls in July)
Tamanawas Falls is certainly a must-see here in Oregon during all four seasons. In the spring you will enjoy a full and raging creek and lush greenery. In the summer you can get closer to the bottom of the falls and the trail will not be muddy or slippery. In the autumn the trail is lined with bright yellow and red vine maples, and in the winter you will need either snowshoes or micro-spikes, but you can enjoy this trail in the snow and sometimes the falls freezes almost entirely! This trail is rated as 'moderate' because the trail tread is very rocky. Please wear sturdy shoes when hiking this trail, and if you are hiking with small children, keep a close eye on them especially in the big boulder section.
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Directions:
From Portland
- Drive on US-26 E for 40.5 miles, then take the State Route 35 N exit toward Hood River. Stay on OR-35 N for 14.8 miles then find the trailhead parking on your left. (Total of 74 miles)
- Drive on I-5 N towards Portland for 29.5 miles then use the right 2 lanes to take exit 288 for I-205 toward Oregon City. Continue on I-205 N for 11.3 miles then take exit 12 for OR-212/OR-224 E toward Estacada/Mt. Hood. Stay on OR-212 for 11.5 miles, then turn right towards Sandy/Mount Hood and merge onto US-26. Stay on this road for 35 miles and then take the State Route 35 N exit toward Hood River. Stay on OR-35 N for 14.8 miles then find the trailhead parking on your left. (Total of 108 miles)
- Drive north on US-97 towards Madras for about 43.5 miles then merge left onto US-26 W for 59.5 miles. take the State Route 35 N exit toward Hood River. Stay on OR-35 N for 14.8 miles then find the trailhead parking on your left. (Total of 119 miles)
- Total of 171 miles via Salem.
- Total of 290 miles via Bend.
-This trail write-up was last updated July 2021-
*All pictures are taken by Franziska Weinheimer
*All pictures are taken by Franziska Weinheimer
*Disclaimer: The trail descriptions, mileage, GPS tracks and difficulty ratings depicted on this website are never 100% accurate. Always hike at your own risk, using your own knowledge, equipment and common sense. Franziska Weinheimer/Hike Oregon are not responsible if you or anyone in your party gets injured or lost while attempting one of these or any other hikes.