• Rating: Difficult
  • Activity: Hike
  • Distance: 7 miles round trip
  • Time:

Sure, geology was a snore back in college, but Ramona Falls proves the subject can be exhilarating out in the real world. Formed from a slab of columnar basalt, the 120-foot-wide cascade fans out like a giant bouquet of mossy toadstools draped in a shimmering, lacy sheet of water. The grueling 1,000-foot climb to the falls, which crosses a footbridge over the snowmelt-swollen Sandy River, tests hikers’ resolve each summer. But it doesn’t do much to deter crowds. Expect a packed house at Ramona’s showy display.

ROUND TRIP: 7 miles

NEAREST TOWN: Zigzag

DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN: 48 miles

PACK: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Portland; Green Trails Map No. 461; Northwest Forest Pass ($5)