Second hiker this spring dies from fall in Horsetail Falls area of Columbia River Gorge
A 22-year-old hiker died Sunday after falling near the Oneonta Trail in the Columbia River Gorge, marking the second fatality this spring in the popular area.
Elisha Angelic Macias, of Hillsboro, was hiking with friends on Oneonta Trail, west of Multnomah Falls in the so-called “Waterfall Corridor,” when she became separated from the group and went off trail. Search and rescue crews determined she fell 50-60 feet from a cliff west of the Horsetail Falls Trailhead.
“No one in the group saw her fall,” the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
At approximately 4:20 p.m., when deputies arrived, another hiker was performing CPR on Macias. Cascade Locks Fire & EMS personnel arrived and pronounced the hiker deceased at approximately 4:35 p.m.
Search and rescue teams assisted in recovering the hiker’s body and volunteers “responded to provide trauma-informed resources and care for all effected,” a news release said.
Second fatality in same location
The fatal accident was the second in the same location this spring.
On March 15, a 61-year-old woman was found deceased "at the bottom of a cliff near Horsetail Falls Trailhead," according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman, whose name was not released, had been hiking solo, officials said. She had also been hiking Oneonta Trail.
That same weekend, on March 16, two hikers who began on the Oneonta Trail became lost and were stranded overnight on a cliff near Multnomah Falls but were rescued.
Officials stressed the importance of having a map, being prepared and knowing your route before hiking, even in a place as well traveled as the Columbia Gorge.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Second hiker dies from fall in Horsetail Falls area of Columbia Gorge
