Lower Oneonta Falls is one of my favorite waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. It is located on the Oregon side about 2.2 miles east of Multnomah falls on the East Historic Columbia River highway. ( 45 minutes east of Portland, Oregon on I-84 ) Lower Oneonta is accessible by scrambling up the Oneonta Creek bed in a slot / canyon. You will probably want to visit this waterfall during the summer months when the water levels in Oneonta creek are lower. You will need to scramble over two large log piles ( may vary ) as well as wade through water in one or two spots that is up to four feet. ( depends upon the amount of rain fall and season ). If you are with young children or older relatives, this is probably not the waterfall to visit, but you can easily visit many other waterfalls that are a only a few hundred meters from the historic Columbia river highway.
You can also catch glimpses of Lower Oneonta Falls from Oneonta Trail #424 and Horsetail Falls Trail #438 which join very close to the falls.
If you want to plan a trip to visit other water falls in the Gorge, you can visit
http://www.oregonwaterfalls.net/gorge.htm”
http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/tools/hikefinder/hike_finder.php”
If you want to view a high resolution panorama of Latourell falls, then http://www.stoneyphoto.com/latourell-falls-columbia-river-gorge-oregon/
Here’s a happy group of hikers exploring Columbia River Gorge Gorge around 1910 becoming a part of the Oneonta Gorge History . This slot canyon within the Columbia River Gorge and on the scenic Historic Columbia River Highway has been a popular location to explore for a very long time. Today on a hot Summer day it can be elbow to elbow with people.
Today there’s a log pile to negotiate and a stretch of water that can be chest to chin deep to make your way into the little canyon, but there’s an amazing waterfall at the end as a reward for the trek.
Nearby Oneonta Gorge is a slot canyon with waist-high water, where the intrepid wader is rewarded with moss-covered walls and a fairytale waterfall. Families should consider the Wahclella Falls trail, a mostly flat, 3.2km/2mi round-trip hike with three waterfalls to enjoy. The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is a spectacular river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, that meanders past cliffs, spires, and ridges set against nearby peaks of the Pacific Northwest's Cascade Mountain Range. Shaped by ancient volcanoes and floods, the Gorge forms a boundary between Washington north and Oregon.