Tamanawas Falls Hike

Getting to Tamanawas Falls from Portland takes some time, but you’ll feel like it was worth the drive once you reach the base of the awe-inspiring, 150-foot cascade!  You’ll pass over several robust log footbridges and follow the beautiful Cold Spring Creek for just over a mile until you reach the falls.  The falls get their name from the Chinook word for a guardian spirit.  As you pass through the Douglas fir, mountain hemlock and red alder forest, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for fairy slipper orchids and western wood anemone.  To extend your hike on the return, add another 2 miles and make a loop of the hike by taking the switchback at the boulder field which will lead you just past the Polallie Trailhead.  You will catch fleeting glimpses of Mount Hood before the trail returns up the East Fork of the Hood River.

If you want to make this an overnight trip, consider camping at the nearby and conveniently located Nottingham Campground.   While you are in the area, you can also hike the trail to Bald Butte.  Afterward, stop by some of the local orchards and do some wine tasting in the valley.