Triple Falls

Located in the Multnomah Falls area of the Columbia River Gorge. Drive east from Multnomah Falls, along the Scenic Highway, for two miles to Oneonta Trailhead #424. Hike in the moderately steep trail for 1.7 miles to the overlook in front of, and above the falls. Alternately, you can continue past the Oneonta Trailhead for 3/4 mile to Horsetail Falls, and hike up Horsetail Falls trail # 438 for 1.3 miles to the Oneonta Trail, passing Ponytail and Middle Oneonta Falls en route, then turning left and proceeding another 8/10 of a mile to Triple Falls.Though often given more credit than it deserves, Triple Falls is one of the most frequently photographed and most scenic waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. Oneonta Creek splits into three channels, flowing around bulbous protrusions in the basaltic bedrock, each channel plunging 64 feet into a large sheer-walled amphitheater, creating a classic example of the Segmented form of a waterfall. Before our survey produced an accurate height for the falls, the height of the falls was often thought to be in the 100-135 foot range, which is somewhat understandable due to the moderate distance from the falls which the viewpoint is found. However, pictures taken from the base of the falls illustrate much more clearly that the falls could not stand anywhere near that height (few people ever venture to the base of the falls, which may have contributed to the fact that the height was misrepresented for quite some time).