Eagle Creek Trail is a very popular hiking trail along Columbia River gorge. The trail was severely damaged during the forest fire few year ago, but the trail has been restored since then. The total distance of the trail is about 25 miles and quite long. Most people hike to Tunnel Falls, which is about 12 miles round trip. The trail takes hikers along the creek and pass by several waterfalls and wildflowers. The trailhead is about an hour East of Portland.
We went for a hike at Eagle Creek on this hot Friday during Spring. By the time we got to the trailhead around 8:30AM, the parking lot is about half full. We parked the car a little bit down the road but not too far from the trailhead.
The trail was filled with fist sized rocks and was a little difficult to walk on. We had to be careful when stepping on lose rocks and had to make sure we don't roll the ankles. Along the trail we could see the sign of forest fire. Many trees were burnt down into charcoals.
The trail also went along the cliff side with steep drop off on one side. There were steel cables on the rock wall for people to hold on to. Since it was still Spring, there was a lot of water drizzling down the cliff wall.
After about an hour, we got to Punch Bowl Fall. The waterfall pours into a bowl like pond. The amount of water flowing through was incredible. Many people took rest here and head back from here, but we went further on since our goal was to get to Tunnel Fall.
The Tunnel Fall was a lot further and the second half of the trail did not have as much shade. So it was getting quite hot. As we approached closer to our final destination, we came to the place where we had to cross the stream of water. Due to the amount of snow Portland got this year, the water level was much higher and current was quite strong. A few people simply hiked through the stream with wet shoes. We debated a bit and decided not to go further and went back. This was unfortunate as we did not prepare for this.
Eagle Creek was definitely one of the best hike along Columbia Gorge. We will definitely do it again when the water level is lower and will definitely get to Tunnel Falls next time.