Hiker falls to death after straying from trail in Columbia River Gorge, officials say

MULTNOMAH FALLS, Ore. (KATU) — A young woman fell to her death on Sunday afternoon in the Columbia River Gorge.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Deputy John Plock said the woman fell off a cliff Sunday around 4:20 p.m. near the Oneonta Trailhead.

Cascade Locks Fire responded to the scene and determined the woman was deceased.

“These are difficult hiking trails, they’re not walking paths,” Plock said. “If you go off trail, it can be very dangerous. Unfortunately, that’s what happened here. This young lady separated herself from her group, went off trail, and ended up falling.”

Multnomah County Search and Rescue personnel were called in to help recover the hiker.

“It’s pretty easy to get in trouble up here,” Plock stated. “This is the wilderness. As long as you are on a marked trail, you’re pretty safe. As soon as you go off trail, it can become pretty dangerous. Unfortunately, we see people go off trail, fall, and too many of them have died.”

The other people in the hiking party were able to make it back safely to the trailhead.

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