Best Waterfall Hikes
Ramona Falls | 7 miles | 1000 ft of elevation gain | “The Queen of Waterfalls” (my kid), and a decent hike to get there. The trickiest part is crossing the Sandy River. From there it’s a steady incline through beautiful forest near the river, then to the falls, then back through forest along Ramona Creek.
Umbrella Falls | 4.5 miles | 900 ft of elevation gain | A nice family-friendly trail (a lot of these waterfall trails could be included in my “family-friendly” post) that weaves through Mt. Hood Meadows, with plenty of meadows, waterfalls, shade, and nice views of Wy’east.
Latourell Falls | 3 miles | 600 ft of elevation gain | Another one of the many short waterfalls hikes in the “waterfall corridor” on the Oregon side of the Gorge (and the closest Gorge waterfall to Portland).
Tarbell Trail to Hidden Falls | 10.5 miles | 1500 ft of elevation gain | This Clark County trail takes a little more time to get to the destination, but the journey through a beautiful mix of forest and clearcut is worth it.
Falls Creek Falls | 5 miles | 800 ft of elevation gain | My favorite yearly date hike with my partner! I love this forested path along a creek to my favorite SW Washington waterfall, with plenty of shade, mossy boulders, and bridges along the way. Not complete without lunch at Backwoods Brewing in Carson.
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Tamanawas Falls | 3.5 miles | 500 ft of elevation gain | A cool waterfall on the east side of Wy’east (Hood). My family enjoyed the journey along Cold Spring Creek, through a boulder field, to the waterfall and grotto. Just enough shade, if I remember rightly.
Dry Creek Falls | 4.5 miles | 700 ft of elevation gain | A straightforward forest to falls trail in the Gorge, right next to the Bridge of the Gods. Stop at Thunder Island Brewing afterwards!
Trail of Ten Falls | 8 miles | 1300 ft of elevation gain | Not one, not two, but…TEN…falls! There are plenty of options here at Silver Falls State Park to do shorter, more family-friends hikes and still see plenty of the falls.
