Holy smokes you guys, it’s literally going to be over 100°F for the next 3 days in Portland!!! This is pretty unheard of, and if you’re familiar with Portland’s humidity, you’ll know it’s also pretty miserable. Last weekend I went on a few really fun hikes just East of the city however, and they were absolutely perfect for escaping the hot weather! So if you’re looking for something to do the next few days and you want to also beat the heat, here are 3 hot weather hikes around Portland you can check out!

Hot Weather Hikes Around Portland

So I have to share a funny story about my experience with these hikes before we get started! My girlfriend, Colleen, came up to Portland last weekend and we really wanted to hike Oneonta Falls. We looked it up on the All Trails app and thought we had to hike part of the way to Triple Falls, then take a separate path to Oneonta. WRONG. Literally all we had to do was hop in the creek right after we parked, but instead, we went on a 5 mile detour LOL. Oh well, we definitely got our exercise in and managed to see 2 other waterfalls as well! We had a good laugh about it of course 😉 So I’m going to share the 3 different waterfall hikes we went on, and they range in difficulty from easiest to hardest (but even the hardest one wasn’t that bad, so no worries!).

Lower Oneonta Falls

This is literally the easiest hike I’ve ever been on. I really don’t even think it counts as a hike, as it’s 0.6 miles round trip of walking through a creek. The one thing I will say about this hike is that it’s currently a bit dangerous and is technically closed due to a log jam. We had to climb over the jam, which was fun for us as we’re pretty fit, but small children definitely had some issues. We even watched one grown woman fall off into a deep pool of water, so if you decide you want to do this “hike,” be very cautious! Also, it’s very easy to get to. You can park along the road anywhere between the parking for Horsetail Falls and the Triple Falls trail head. Then just walk to the creek (there is a staircase), get in the water and start walking!

Horsetail Falls

So you can actually see Horsetail Falls from the road when you park. However, if you decide to hike the 2.6 mile loop, you’ll also be taken to a small valley that contains Ponytail Falls. Ponytail Falls is pretty neat because you can actually walk along a path that goes behind the waterfall! This hike is very easy and we saw lots of small children and even elderly folks on the trail!

Triple Falls

This is actually the hike we did first and it’s the hardest one of the day. It’s a 3.2 mile loop and is considered moderate. I would actually say this hike is easy with some moderate to difficult spots. It’s extremely rocky in some areas, and quite steep as well. However, the trail is pretty wide, nicely shaded, and very beautiful, and the view of Triple Falls is amazing! It was definitely my favorite hike of the day 🙂

Do you have any favorite hikes? Let me know in the comments, I really want to do as many as I can before the summer is over! Also, let me know your favorite hot weather activities in the comments below! 🙂

xo,

B

Tags: hiking, horsetail falls, hot weather hikes around portland, oneonta falls, oneonta gorge, portland hiking, triple falls, what to do in portland