Journalist By Nature: Triple Falls Loop

Triple Falls

Looking for new trails to explore I took the Old Columbia River Highway east from the I-5 exit 28, following the directions and description in Douglas Lorain's book Afoot and Afield in Portland/Vancouver for the Horsetail Falls to Triple Falls Loop hike. The morning dawned warm and hazy, another in a streak of hot, dry late summer days. Packing extra water and a light lunch, I found what I thought was the trailhead. I noted the few cars in the parking lot and figured I would have the trail to myself. In my rush to find new territory I overlooked the fact that I was starting at the end of the hike instead of the beginning, although it is traversable either way. Ascending the Oneonta trail I found its surface studded with angular basalt rocks instead of the softer needle path I had expected. Nonetheless I ambled upward on the curving trail, steadily climbing along the face of the rock wall that lines the highway.

Rock-encrusted trail

Hikers began to descend toward me, flush with an earlier start to their hiking day. As I counted people I realized I would be alone on the upper part of the hike, or so I assumed. Reaching an intersection in the trail I met people coming down from Larch Mountain and others who said they had started at Horsetail Falls. Hmmmmm. Am I on the right trail I wondered to myself? Checking my map through squinting eyes devoid of my reading glasses and consulting the trail signs I continued toward Triple Falls but curious as to where all the other falls were. Perhaps they were on those side trails Lorain mentioned. I chose not to explore them on the way up, saving them for the downhill journey.

One part of the trail was buried under a large landslide and had been recut and stabilized with reinforcing log steps and new gravel. Additionally there was what I am coining "trail mail" atop the path, an inference because of its resemblance to the body mail worn under armor by knights. The dry soil, loose gravel and steep grade made for dicey footing at this point. There was little evidence of water anywhere except for one or two lines of seeping moisture in the shadier portions of the basalt walls.

Arriving at Triple Falls I crossed the bridge over Oneonta Creek and observed young hikers bouldering at the dropoff point of the falls. Ah youthful but risky behavior! There is no cell coverage in the canyon if help is needed. The 60 foot falls are from one water source but split at the edge into three channels, giving the impression of three strands awaiting a braid.

Oneonta Falls

Foot traffic began to pick up as I returned to the trail intersection and discovered in conversation with other hikers that I had traveled in reverse so had yet to see the other falls. Oneonta Falls spills over a rocky ledge to plunge into the famed canyon containing the creek. Here the rock walls are a mere 20 feet apart, holding piles of trees and other debris high above the summer water level and hikers who choose to navigate this often photographed wonder. There is danger however, as unexpected falling rocks as well as the popular log jam climb can prove deadly.

Ponytail Falls

Farther on the trail lies Ponytail Falls, a cascading veil of mountain runoff that flows through a crevice in the wall into a rock-lined pool below. It is at this spot where the trail leads under the ledge and falling water through a cave-like scene where hikers rest and cool off, taking in the view through the water to the Columbia River and Washington hills in the distance. Here begins the characteristic stonework of the Works Progress Administration. Short walls of fitted stone line the trail to keep rock slides at bay, moss covering the walls in validation of their 80 year life. The previously rocky trail opens up to a more comfortable dirt surface and leads to a couple of viewpoints that take in the Gorge and its capacious, western-bound Columbia River.

Horsetail Falls

The final, or in the case of most hikers the first, waterfall is Horsetail Falls, displaying its 176 foot cataract right alongside the old highway, complete with signage and a large parking lot. It is here that the crowds gather to photograph and pose in front of this magnificent waterfall. It ends in a large pool that lures visitors to come closer to catch the spray from the water. No matter which way you take this hike, you will have to walk along the highway to return to your car. The walkway is sometimes a narrow gravel ditch, at other times the highway itself in which case you need to be very alert to oncoming traffic. There is a reconstructed tunnel through a rock that holds the carved initials of many a traveler. On this day the highway is lined with the cars of visitors, not all of who are hiking per se. Many are young people intent on climbing over the log jam on Oneonta Creek and wading into the narrow canyon behind. Squeals of laughter and daring echo up out of the canyon as hoards of kids walk through the icy water and maneuver over slippery boulders. It seems to be an annual rite of summer to achieve this feat.

This hike would prove to be more dramatic as to waterfalls once the spring runoff levels reach their maximum and the winter rains green up the mossy hillsides and fern-lined canyons. That would also make the rocky upper trail more slippery. Choose your season, wear strong hiking boots, carry trekking poles and enjoy the scenery of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area just outside of Portland. It will never disappoint you. As long as you're out that way, take the old highway to the Vista House and the Women's Forum for spectacular Gorge views. Sunsets there are particularly exquisite.