Ramona Falls

To Reach (From Portland):

Take US-26 eastbound toward Mt. Hood to Zigzag, across from the Mt. Hood Information Center, you'll take a left onto Lolo Pass Road.  Go 4.2 miles and turn right onto  Forest Road 1825.  After 0.7 miles, turn right across the Sandy River bridge, and continue 1.8 miles on FR-1825, where you'll fork left onto Forest Road 100 for a half-mile.  Find the gravel parking area at road's end.

The Trail:

Note: We have received a report that the bridge over the Sandy has washed out.  Make sure to check with the Forest Service to see if the bridge is up before going.

The trail takes off from the gravel parking area and takes you through primarily mountain hemlock forest, following the Sandy River.  At 1.2 miles, you'll reach a confusing intersection.  Follow the trail to the left and cross a footbridge over the Sandy River.    After rising up the other bank of the river and re-entering the forest, you'll come to  an intersection where you'll have to fill out a mandatory wilderness permit before continuing.

You can go either way from here, as it is a loop, but we suggest taking the more scenic trail to the left.    You'll cross another creek and wind your way through a pine forest before following Ramona Creek.  Just around the bend, you'll find fantastic Ramona Falls, perhaps the most beautiful waterfall in Oregon.   Ramona Falls cascades like a wonderland over the wide, rock lip as you sit at the base and gaze at it's beauty.  You can camp here, as long as you stay 500 feet away from the falls.  There isn't much sunlight in this area, so you may want to bring a sweater if you are planning to stay at the falls for lunch.

From here, you can take the Timberline Trail around Yocum Ridge to Bald Mountain (which adds 6.1 miles to the loop), or continue along the loop back to your car.

Our Take:

This is a must-see trail.  Although the trail itself is pretty representative of mountain Northwest hiking, with lodgpole pines, mountain hemlock, creeks, and rivers, the real prize is the falls itself.  We were amazed when we saw it.  It's cascade is quite different from the much taller falls of the Columbia River Gorge.

We ate lunch at the bottom of the falls, which got cold quickly with the cool mist of the falls combined with total lack of sunlight.  The trail itself is fairly flat and easy, which makes this a very popular hike.  We thought about backpacking in here the previous weekend, but it rained hard all weekend, so we wimped out. 

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