Two more hikers fall at Oneonta Creek Trail

Two more hikers had to be rescued after slipping down a steep embankment at a popular Columbia River Gorge trail.

At 6 p.m. Monday, July 15, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call from a hiker who reported he and a friend, both adult males, had fallen while recreating at Oneonta Trail. The pair had fallen about 1.5 miles from the trail head into Oneonta Creek, with one of the hikers suffering a laceration to the head.

Deputies, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue, Cascade Locks Fire, Corbett Fire and Hood River Search & Rescue responded.

Rope teams descended to the injured hiker to apply basic first aid. They then hiked down the creek to rejoin the trail near the Middle Oneonta Falls Bridge. The injured hiker was wheeled out in a rescue cart and transported to a nearby hospital.

The injured hikers were brought out around 12:30 a.m. During the rescue, a first responder fell and sprained a wrist.

This is the second incident in less than a week on that trail.

Friday morning, July 12, a 50-year-old woman fell 80 feet down an embankment. She hadn’t realized she had left the marked trail and lost her footing on a slope. She was rescued by personnel from both Corbett Fire and Cascade Locks Fire, and only sustained minor injuries.