Bell Creek Loop Hike

Overview

This challenging hike visits some of the best stands of old growth in the Columbia River Gorge . You'll visit low level old growth and higher level old-growth hemlock forests. There are a couple of waterfalls, creekside climbs, and a tricky ford of Oneonta Creek (spring and early summer). While the Bell Creek Trail itself mostly escaped the ravages of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, the Oneonta and Horsetail Creek trails, which also form part of this hike, did not fare so well. Trailkeepers of Oregon has been instrumental in restoring all three of these trails post fire. Starting from the Oneonta Trailhead , the Oneonta Trail rises, paralleling the old highway and then crossing a slide gully that seems to reinvent itself every winter. When you reach the Oneonta-Gorge Trail Junction , make a left and traverse to get good views across the Columbia River to Archer Mountain . You'll recross the slide gully and then drop below a basalt pinnacle, getting more views across the river. The trail turns up Oneonta Gorge , entering an area of scorched snags and views to the narrow cleft of the lower box canyon. After passing a trailside spring, you'll reach the junction where the Horsetail Falls Trail #438 heads downhill to the Middle Oneonta Falls and the first Oneonta Creek bridge. From the junction, the Oneonta Trail passes a wilderness permit box and a sign indicating entry to the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. A substantial seasonal waterfall appears across Oneonta Creek. You'll cross another slide gully, which may necessitate some care if it has been recently active. The trail climbs to a pair of switchbacks as it traverses high above the amphitheater of Upper Oneonta Falls , erroneously labeled "Oneonta Falls" on topographical maps. You can see the very top of these falls from the trail. Above the falls and across the creek, a steeply plunging stream disgorges into its own debris fan. You'll switchback up twice under a dripping rock face and traverse a steep slope high above Oneonta Creek. High above and across the creek,

Trail Stats

Photos

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Crowd sourced GPS "average" (aiwetir)

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Tall Douglas-fir rising, Bell Creek Trail (bobcat)

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The Bell Creek area is full of old cedars like this one. (Jeff Statt)

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Shrimp russula (Russula xerampelina) , Horsetail Creek Trail (bobcat)

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Location of the Oneonta Creek crossing (Jeff Statt)

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Triple Falls, on the Oneonta Trail (bobcat)

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Old-growth cedar grove, Bell Creek Trail (bobcat)

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