Tamanawas Falls Oregon Hike Guide
Tamanawas Falls is a beautiful 110ft waterfall located on the eastern side of Mt Hood in Oregon. This hike is heavily trafficked but family and dog friendly. The trail starts along Oregon Highway 35, works along Cold Spring Creek and through lush forest before arriving at the impressive waterfall. The water from the falls cascades down a lava cliff formed hundreds of years ago. This is a great hike with many beautiful side attractions along the way to the base of Tamanawas Falls.
Tamanawas Falls Quick Facts
Tamanawas Falls Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 3.5 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 3,079ft
Summit: 3,540ft
Total Elevation Gain: 715ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 2-4 Hours RT
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Low Class 2 – Minor Scrambling near waterfall – What does this mean?
Season: June – November (expect snow outside of this period)
Directions to Tamanawas Falls
Trailhead: Tamanawas Falls
Getting Here: From Government Camp, OR – take US26 for about 2 miles and then exit onto State Route 35 towards Hood River. Continue for 14.8 miles until you reach the well signed parking area on your left. There is additional parking on the left as well.
Parking: Parking for Tamanawas Falls is mostly on the left side of highway 35 with parking for about 20-25 vehicles. There is additional parking on the right down the road a bit, but this is somewhat limited. The parking lot will fill up early on most summer days, especially weekends. There are a couple of non-plumbing restrooms at the TH.
Fee: $5 or a Recreation Pass.
Summary
Dogs: Tamanawas Falls is a dog friendly hike with lots of water for your pup to play in along the way.
Camping: There are a few campgrounds in the area, Nottingham and Sherwood with dispersed camping options along nearby Brooks Meadow Rd as well.
Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike with the option to extend your hike on neighboring trails including East Fork Trail #650.
Trail X Factors: Crowds
Like many hikes in the Mt Hood Wilderness, Tamanawas Falls can get extremely busy. If you are looking for a less packed experience, head here in off hours (super early morning or later in the afternoon). The crowds can take away from your experience in nature but also making hiking tricky in sections where the trail is only wide enough for one person.
Hike Tip(s): On your hike up to Tamanawas Falls, take some time to explore some of the many social trails off the main trail. In many cases they will bring you down to Cold Spring Creek with views of smaller waterfalls and cascades. I found one spot that was so beautiful and inviting that I decided to take a dip into the freezing cold creek. If you want to get closer to the waterfall, there is a small social trail that leads to the base of the falls as well. Be careful here as the trail is eroding and extremely loose.
Best Views: I honestly enjoyed the views along Cold Spring Creek as much as the waterfall itself. Of course, at Tamanawas Falls there are a number of areas to explore to snap some long exposure photos as well.
Tamanawas Falls Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Tamanawas Falls: June 2021
The day before provided a great trip up Mt Hood, but I was ready to hike with Jackie and explore some waterfalls in the area. Tamanawas Falls was not part of our original trip itinerary, but since it was so close to our hotel, we decided to add it to our trip and we were both happy we did. We arrived at the TH around 8AM and it was nearly full of cars on a summer week day.
The hike started with a wooden bridge across a river and worked through lush forest along a raging snow fed creek. The forest was full of wildflowers and green lush plants, something we were not used to in Colorado. The trail had some rollers before flattening out to a steady non-steep climb up to the waterfall. We stopped at several spots along the way to take pictures, enjoy the beauty and cool off from the hot summer morning.
As we got closer to the base of the waterfall, the trail worked up some minor rock scrambling before finally presenting the massive 110ft Tamanawas Falls. The area was beautiful and after a small water crossing, we found the perfect spot to take some pictures and enjoy the scene. As we departed, several large groups were arriving. We seemed to have hit the sweet spot before the real crowds arrived.
On the way back down, I took a dip into the freezing creek to cool off from the scorching temps. Let’s just say that Cold Spring is a perfect name! Overall, we both loved our hike to Tamanawas Falls. In fact, this might be my favorite waterfall of the 8-10 we saw on our trip to Oregon.
