Ramona Falls Hike

A little secret...go late! I know, I know, the river crossing. But right now, the water level is not high, and the log crossing is super easy. And if you got a bit later in the day, you'll have Ramona Falls to yourself as the final golden beams of light filter through the trees and hit it at just the right angle for almost a full rainbow at the base of the falls.

The hike itself is gorgeous, especially the northern part of the loop, where much of the way you're walking along the stream, which is why I'd recommend doing the loop counter-clockwise so you can get the less scenic, but still incredible, southern part of the loop out of the way first. There are a couple spots that have a steep drop-off, so if you go later in the day, avoiding this part as it begins to get dark is probably the move right there.

There's a slight bit of elevation gain, but it never gets to the point where you're begging for mercy or digging too deep for 'one more step.' For the most part, it's an incredibly pleasant quick-moving 7 mile hike. I started at about 4:15pm, got to the falls about 5:45pm (I did stop for several images), spent about 45 minutes at the falls (yup, camera fun time), and then started making my way back to the lot just as the sunset light was hitting Hood, got back to my car about 8:15pm (again, stopped for more pics), just as the final moments of twilight were beginning to disappear.

This is one of my favorite spots in the Mount Hood Wildnerness, and once you do it, it'll be one of yours too.