Tamanawas Falls

Hiking to Tamanawas Falls

Tamanawas Falls is a popular hiking trail and waterfall near Mount Hood in Oregon. The moderately difficult trail has a few challenging parts but is mostly a straight forward hike to a very impressive waterfall. Weekend parking was a challenge and the trail was busy but definitely worth the trip.

Getting Started

The trailhead at Tamanawas Falls is actually really nice. There is a nice little picnic area with tables in the woods next to the river. Just past that area is the main start to the trail and one of the first things to do is walk across a long narrow bridge across the East Fork Hood River. The bridge has side bars and isn’t scary, even for this guy who is scared of heights! After the bridge you will come to a quick junction. The East Fork #650 trail will head away from the falls to the left and the Falls trail will continue to the right.

The Woods and Creek

After the bridge, and picking the right trail, you will be in some deeper woods that meander their way up towards the falls. For the first part of the hike, the river never seems too far away. When you do move away from the river, the trail then begins to follow the Cold Spring Creek. This is the creek that the falls feed and it will be with you the rest of the way.

Hiking next to water is one of my favorite things to do. It brings a wonderful peace to the hike in my opinion. It also allows for some really pretty landscapes. There are some areas near the water that have flattened out and are great for taking rests. There are also some great cascades of the water throughout that make for great views.

The Rocky Road

One thing that I wanted to point out, especially for those with kids or maybe who aren’t super comfortable hiking, is a rock slide that is about 3/4 of the way up the trail. As rock slides go, this one isn’t that hard to navigate, but it is a bit more challenging than the typical trail. Make sure to take your time, especially on the way down as the descent and the rocks can lead to some uneasy footing.

Tamanawas Falls

Now to the best part, Tamanawas Falls! Tamanawas Falls is a 110 foot waterfall that is really impressive. The rocks around the cavern are also absolutely amazing! But the main focus is definitely on the falls. The drop is really impressive and it is nice and wide and we stayed up there a long time. The area below the falls is a series of pools and rushing water. There are spots to sit and relax and other spots that are closer to the water depending on what you enjoy. This is definitely worth every step of the hike!

Distance and Elevation

I didn’t start my AllTrails map for this hike so don’t have my typical recording and stats. According to Alltrails, the hike is 3.3 miles with a 564 foot elevation gain. It is estimated to take about an hour and a half. The highpoint is at 3470 feet.

Effort

The hike up to Tamanawas Falls isn’t too challenging but there are a few tricky parts. Overall the trail keeps to a gradual incline throughout. There are some sections of the trail that get narrow with a bit of a drop but nothing that isn’t manageable. There is a rock slide that gets a little more challenging about three quarters of the way up the hike. The terrain near the waterfall is also a little tricky. Overall, I will give this hike a moderate grade based on some of the tricky terrain.

Terrain

For the most part the trail at Tamanawas Falls is hard packed dirt. There is a bridge to cross to start the hike that crosses the river. About 3/4 of the way to the falls, there is a rock slide that can get a bit tricky to navigate but is on the easier side of rock slides. Around the falls there is a lot of water which can make traction a bit tricky. I definitely suggest hiking boots with good traction for this hike.

Access to the Tamanawas Falls

Tamanawas Falls is located on the east side Mt. Hood on Oregon State Road 35. There is a parking area on the west side of the road that fits about 20 cars. It was really full when we tried to hike on the weekend.

Wrap up of the Tamanawas Falls hike

The hike to Tamanawas Falls is great. It is a shorter hike with moderate elevation gain to get to a really amazing waterfall. I also loved the fact that the hike is next to water for nearly the entire time. It was a super relaxing hike that ended up at an amazing spot to enjoy a huge waterfall.

I think that the minimal elevation gain would make this a hike that more people could handle, While it is definitely not an easy hike, and you need some abilities, I do think it is something that can be enjoyed by a lot of people. Especially if you love creeks and waterfalls like me!

I have added this hike and all of my hikes to the interactive map page you can find here. If you have any suggestions for hikes or comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!

Gallery of the Tamanawas Falls Hike