Tamanawas Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

109feet tall

A waterfall on Cold Springs Creek.

Scale49/60

Documentation15/20

Character8/20

The details

Watercourse: Cold Springs Creek
Coordinates: 45.40081, -121.58945

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About Tamanawas Falls

Tamanawas Falls is a 109-foot waterfall in Oregon, on Cold Springs Creek.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Tamanawas Falls 7.2/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

A hundred-foot-tall, forty-foot-wide curtain where Cold Spring Creek pours over a lava ledge on Mt. Hood's drier east side. The trail lets you walk to the base and partly behind the curtain; in cold winters the spray freezes into a genuine ice cave.

Getting there

Trailhead: Tamanawas Falls Trailhead (Trail #650A), Highway 35, ~25 miles south of Hood River
Parking: Large paved lot; fills by mid-morning on fair-weather weekends
Road: Paved
Hike: 3.4 mi round trip, 550 ft of climb (moderate)
Heads up: Creekside trail with a footbridge over the East Fork Hood River and a talus crossing near the falls. A December 2025 washout carries a temporary repair — watch for loose rock.

When to go

May through October for the standard hike; December through February for the ice grotto, with snowshoes or spikes and winter judgment. Flow is strong in early summer and thins to a veil by fall.

One of Hood's most popular trailheads — early starts win.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: $5/day or Northwest Forest Pass — buy in advance in Hood River, Parkdale, Government Camp, or Sandy; no on-site sales
Dogs: Leashed, 6-foot max
Hours: Open 24 hours
Camping: Sherwood Campground, a quarter mile south of the trailhead
Warnings: Storm-damage repairs from December 2025 are temporary — expect rough tread and slide debris.

Researched from USFS — Tamanawas Falls Trail #650A · Northwest Waterfall Survey — Tamanawas Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Tamanawas Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.