Sahale Falls

Sahale Falls, located on the SE side of Mt. Hood, is a tiered horsetail waterfall that plunges over 70 feet into a pool almost ideal for swimming except for its frigid temperatures. Sahale Falls is relatively easy to get to however accessing the base of the falls can be challenging.

To reach Sahale Falls park at the Elk Meadows trailhead near the base of the Mount Hood Meadows Hood River Meadows parking lot. If the Hood River Meadows parking lot is open you may be able to drive all the way to the base of Sahale Falls. Otherwise, from the Elk Meadows Trailhead you can find a trail on the opposite side of the road with a sign indicating it leads to Sahale Falls. The hike from Elk Meadows trailhead will say it is roughly a half mile but it really is more like 3/4 of a mile or so.

You can view Sahale Falls from the bridge on the old highway 35 or you can scramble down a very steep and dangerous hillside to the foot of the falls for optimal views. The scramble is loose, steep and could easily lead to a serious accident or death. Use extreme caution here.

Overall Sahale Falls is a beautiful waterfall and a bit of a relief from the usually congested, crowded and loved to death waterfalls of the nearby Columbia River Gorge.