Oneonta Gorge

Shafts of light briefly enter the deep, moist, shady canyon of Oneonta Gorge, illuminating shade-tolerant ferns, mosses, and lichens and sustaining a unique habitat for an unusual variety of plants. Sheltered from the harsh sun, wind, and summer drought of the Columbia River Gorge, Ice Age orphans still thrive in the chilly, constant climate between the canyon walls, while endemic plants occupy crevices and cling to cliffs. The concentration of these and other rare plants has made the gorge a special botanical area and a favorite place for naturalists. The Historic Columbia River Highway once carried motorists over the bridge and through Oneonta Tunnel, but the route was changed and the tunnel filled with debris in the late 1940s after falling rock created safety problems. Oregon sullivantia grows on wet cliffs near waterfalls, Columbia lewisia clings to dry, rocky shelves just east of the gorge, and Oregon bolandra thrives near waterfalls and moist cliffs.

Oregon · United States