Latest revision as of 22:58, 29 November 2022

Tamanawas Falls (bobcat)

Large-flowered collomia (Collomia grandiflora), Tamanawas Tie Trail (bobcat)

Andesite cliffs above the Tamanawas Falls Trail (bobcat)

Western snakeroot (Ageratina occidentalis), Tamanawas Falls Trail (bobcat)

Looking down Cold Spring Creek from the Tamanawas Falls Trail (bobcat)

The loop hike to Tamanawas Falls (not a GPS track) (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo/USFS

• Start point: Polallie Trailhead
• End point: Tamanawas Falls
• Hike Type: Loop
• Distance: 3.8 miles
• Elevation gain: 1035 feet
• High Point: 3,570 feet
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Seasons: Summer into fall
• Family Friendly: Yes
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: Only on the Tamanawas Falls Trail

Description

There's a less crowded option for accessing popular Tamanawas Falls that gives more elevation gain on quieter trails although, once alongside Cold Spring Creek, you'll still encounter numerous fellow hikers taking the direct route from the Tamanawas Falls Trailhead. However beginning at the Polallie Trailhead the last leg of the loop on the East Fork Trail will put you within hearing of traffic on Highway 35. While the falls are the principal destination, you can also take time to admire forest wildflowers in the summer as well as the species-rich coniferous forest on the east side of Mount Hood.

Cross Highway 35 from the Polallie Trailhead, and switchback up a slope to the Elk Meadows-East Fork Trail Junction. To do the loop to Tamanawas Falls, make a right and hike up in a forest of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, grand fir, western larch, and chinquapin. You’ll turn into a quiet wood above Polallie Creek and hike through a carpet of twin flower and pipsissewa. There’s a glimpse of Mount Hood through the trees as you make a gradual traverse up and switchback. Ponderosa pine, western white pine, and noble fir become part of the forest mix.

Reach the Elk Meadows-Tamanawas Tie Trail Junction, and go left to traverse down a steep slope. You’ll notice larger ponderosa pines here and pass right under a big and gnarly Douglas-fir. Weathered rock palisades loom above, and ocean spray droops over the trail. Cross a boulder slide with Cold Spring Creek rushing below. Switchback down to the junction with the Tamanawas Falls Trail, and make a sharp right.

The trail crosses a massive boulder field below sheer andesite cliffs. Two short switchbacks take you up to your first view of Tamanawas Falls. Cold Spring Creek flows through thickets of Sitka alder below. Pass a couple of sturdy Engelmann spruce and reach another viewpoint of the falls, which drop 110 feet over a basalt overhang.

When you’ve had your fill of the view, return down the Tamanawas Falls Trail to pass the Tamanawas Falls-Tamanawas Tie Trail Junction. The trail keeps above Cold Spring Creek, passing some large Douglas-firs. Then the path braids near a large Engelmann spruce and passes through an alder thicket. Hike between a mossy boulder and a big western white pine with Cold Spring Creek pouring over a series of picturesque drops to your right. Continue on this often rocky tread below a scree slope rustling with cottonwoods. Pass between the root balls of two fallen trees, and cross a footbridge over the creek. Hike up to the East Fork-Tamanawas Falls Trail Junction, and go left.

Drop down a bluff to pass through a boulder field. Cross Cold Spring Creek on a footbridge, and hike up a talus slope, getting a view of the creek’s confluence with the East Fork near Highway 35. Make a traverse through trailside boxwoods with the East Fork and the highway directly below. The trail almost disappears at a dangerous slide, and then switchbacks down to cross a tumbling creek. Undulate along through a vine maple understory until you reach the Elk Meadows-East Fork Trail Junction, where you’ll drop down to the right to return to the Polallie Trailhead.

Fees, Regulations, etc.

• Dogs on leash on Tamanawas Falls Trail
• $5 day pass, Northwest Forest Pass, or Interagency Pass required for trailhead parking

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• Green Trails Maps: Mt. Hood, OR #462
• Adventure Maps: Mt. Hood Area
• Adventure Maps: Hood River, Oregon, Trail Map
• Adventure Maps: 44 Trails Area plus the best of the G.P.N.F.
• Geo-Graphics: Mount Hood Wilderness Map
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mt. Hood National Forest
• Discover Your Northwest: Mt. Hood National Forest North: Trail Map & Hiking Guide
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Hood River Ranger District
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood Wilderness
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount Hood

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Tamanawas Falls Loop Hike

• Tamanawas Falls Loop Hike & Sasquatch Warning Signs 9-27

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Tamanawas Falls Loop Hike

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• PDX Hiking 365 by Matt Reeder
• Take a Hike: Portland by Barbara I. Bond
• 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon by William L. Sullivan
• 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
• Day Hike! Columbia Gorge by Seabury Blair, Jr.
• Portland Hikes by Art Bernstein & Andrew Jackman
• Hiking Oregon's Mount Hood & Badger Creek Wilderness by Fred Barstad
• Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon by Rhonda & George Ostertag
• 50 Hikes in Oregon by David L. Anderson
• 105 Virtual Hikes of the Mt. Hood National Forest by Northwest Hiker
• Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
• Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
• 62 Hiking Trails: Northern Oregon Cascades by Don & Roberta Lowe
• 70 Hiking Trails: Northern Oregon Cascades by Don & Roberta Lowe
• Trail Running: Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
• Waterfall Lover’s Guide: Pacific Northwest by Gregory A. Plumb
• Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest by David L. Anderson

More Links

• Elk Meadows Trail #645 (USFS)
• Tamanawas Tie Trail #650B (USFS)
• Tamanawas Falls Trail #650 A (USFS)
• East Fork Trail #650 (USFS)
• Tamanawas Falls via Polallie Trailhead Hike (Northwest Hiker)
• Tamanawas Falls Hike (Outdoor Project)
• Tamanawas Falls Loop (Gaia GPS)
• Tamanawas Falls (World of Waterfalls)
• Tamanawas Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)

Page Contributors

• bobcat (creator)