Hike the Eagle Creek Trail to Punch Bowl Falls
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Sometimes the weather forecast is not right. After my phone lured me to the Columbia Gorge with promises of a day full of the sun icon, I enjoyed 5 miles on the Eagle Creek Trail in the rain. And I do mean enjoyed. Even when cold, wet, and crabby, I can’t deny that this trail is gorgeous. I’m sure it’s at least as good when you’re comfortable. With all my layers on and yet still wet through, I present to you — the Eagle Creek Trail.
Cable railings line narrow ledges along the trail
Know before you go
You’ll need a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass to park at the Eagle Creek Trailhead. There is a pay slot at the trailhead if you have cash. Otherwise, pick up a pass online ahead of time or at a local retailer on the way to the trail. A day pass costs $5.
The road to the trailhead is no problem in a low-clearance vehicle.
The Eagle Creek Trailhead is popular. Its parking lot fills up quickly, especially on summer weekends. Park at the nearby Eagle Creek Day Use Trailhead if it’s full. You can look at the fish hatchery while you’re there. If it’s crowded when you arrive, I would do a different hike. Parts of the trail are narrow and get dicey when it’s too busy. I have no fear of heights but have felt uncomfortable walking along a cliffside while people coming from the other direction aren’t leaving enough room.
Leashed dogs are allowed, but honestly, I wouldn’t bring a dog on this trail. Sections of the trail have a cliff on one side and a sheer drop on the other. There isn’t enough room for people to walk safely in both directions with dogs.
I don’t recommend this trail if you’re hiking with small children because of the drop-offs.
I usually hike the Eagle Creek Trail alone because my friends are put off by the heights. If you dislike heights, you will probably not like this trail.
There is a restroom near the trailhead that closes seasonally. In the winter, look for port-a-potties next to the parking lot. Or, you can stop at the day-use area on the way there.
The trail can be muddy. It is doable in sneakers, but you’ll be happier in hiking boots. I love my waterproof Timberland hiking boots and will buy them again whenever they wear out. There is a similar pair for men.
Lower Punch Bowl Falls
On the Eagle Creek Trail to Punch Bowl Falls
Distance: 4.5 miles out and back with the option to continue
Elevation gain: 600 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Pass required: Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass
Dog friendly: Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing your dog.
ADA access: No
You’ll pass some beautiful petrified wood toward the beginning of the hike. Please don’t take any.
Detailed directions:
Even on a less-than-ideal day, the Eagle Creek Trail is breathtaking. Not so much a hiking trail as a work of art, incredible amounts of labor and skill have gone into restoring the trail since the 2017 Eagle Creek wildfire. On my last visit, I passed no fewer than three trail crews repairing sections of trail that landslides and seasonal waterfalls had compromised. Maintenance is no small task since the trail hugs the side of an eroding canyon.
Carefully constructed gutters keep water from washing away the trail
You’ll begin the hike next to Eagle Creek, where the water is so clear that you can see the texture of the river cobbles beneath its surface. Look for salmon swimming up the creek in the fall. Just past the trailhead, you’ll cross a small footbridge, then begin a gradual climb away from the creek.
After the footbridge, the trail starts climbing
In winter and spring, look for the first of many seasonal waterfalls at the beginning of the hike. I made a halfhearted attempt to count them all and gave up after about a dozen, long before reaching Punch Bowl Falls.
Look for seasonal waterfalls on either side of Eagle Creek
Some of the seasonal waterfalls tumble directly onto the trail. It’s worth taking a minute to admire the carefully constructed stone channels that siphon water from the trail and protect it from erosion. These waterfalls are one of many challenges of trail maintenance in this recovering forest. The 2017 Eagle Creek wildlife killed many of the trees in the canyon, making it less stable. Along the hike, you’ll see evidence of this instability, like fallen logs piling in the creek, lattices of exposed tree roots, crumbling canyon walls, and small landslides.
A waterfall on the trail
A little past this trailside falls, the hike becomes an engineering marvel. Workers blasted through the basalt cliffs of the canyon in 1915 using dynamite. Today, the trail is a narrow ledge on the side of a cliff. Cable handrails provide emotional security as you make your way along the precipice. Approach this section of the trail carefully on a busy day. Walk single file and, when you’re returning, stay close to the cliff so that the hikers on the outside have enough room. While almost everyone I’ve seen on this trail has been respectful and attentive, I’ve had a couple of harrowing moments here, one while passing people walking side by side and another passing a person with their dog on a long leash. Now, I hike in the rain to avoid the crowds.
Cable rails line the more treacherous parts of the trail
As you make your way along the ledge, the trail rounds a couple of intriguing corners as it follows the contours of the canyon. You’ll still be walking next to Eagle Creek, now from a point of elevation.
You’ll see Eagle Creek below you as you walk
In summer, the slopes of the canyon are covered with cheerful greenery. Look for wildflowers here in late spring. Fall color peaks in October. Although the forest is somber in winter, foggy days and waterfalls galore bring a sense of enchantment to hills while moss, mushrooms, and maidenhair ferns keep things from being colorless.
Orange conifer jelly adorns a trunk along the trail
After finishing the first cable-rail section of the trail, you’ll reach a wide outcropping that is a good vantage point for admiring Eagle Creek and the distinctive curves of the canyon walls.
This outcropping is perfect for taking in the views
Here is where the strange and unique contours of the Eagle Creek Canyon become obvious. Look for the thin snaking line of the trail partway up the canyon wall. Like most things in the Columbia Gorge, volcanic activity formed the Eagle Creek Canyon. During the beginning of the hike, you’ll see older deposits from the ancestral Cascades, including 25 million-year-old debris and lava flows. After about a mile, look for younger basalts of the far-traveled Columbia River Basalt Group.
Eagle Creek Canyon
You’re now headed for the precarious-looking trail you saw from the viewpoint. You’ll reach a second cable-rail section and, I think, the most interesting part of the hike.
Second stretch of cable rails
Walking on a ledge carved from a cliff, you can see Eagle Creek rushing far below you at the base of the canyon. Pine-covered slopes rise in the distance, still forested with many living trees despite the fire damage. When mist settles in these hills, it is haunting and, perhaps, one of the prettiest places in the world. Go at an unpopular time if you can. This hike is exhilarating when deserted but nerve-wracking when crowded.
Enjoy views of the canyon from the edge of a cliff
Once you reach the end of the cable rail, the steepest drop-offs will be behind you. Even after the trail becomes more sedate, Eagle Creek still provides dramatic scenery as it passes through a slot canyon with seasonal waterfalls splashing down its sides.
Waterfalls along Eagle Creek
As you start getting close to your destination, the trail will separate from the creek and wind through the woods. You’ll see 100-foot Soreson Falls and then 82-foot Metlako Falls through the trees, but between the distance and the brush cover, you never quite get a satisfying view of either.
Metlako Falls
Meanwhile the unnamed seasonal waterfalls will keep you from feeling too deprived.
Unnamed waterfalls tumble into Eagle Creek
Not to mention that the forest has a special charm despite its charred trunks and winter dormancy.
Scorch marks from the 2017 Eagle Creek wildfire
After rounding a corner, you’ll see Sorenson Creek flowing across the trail. Some pleasing stepping stones help with the crossing.
Crossing Sorenson Creek
About 2 miles into the hike, you’ll see several signs nailed to tree trunks, two of which point to Lower Punch Bowl Falls. Follow the signs and head downhill to reach the falls.
Follow this sign to see Lower Punch Bowl Falls
A short spur trail descends about 1/4 mile down to Eagle Creek. When I last visited, there was a fallen tree across the trail decorated with some gorgeous turkey tail mushrooms that are worth stopping to admire.
Turkey tail mushrooms on a fallen tree
At the end of the trail, you’ll reach the rushing waters of Eagle Creek and 15-foot Lower Punch Bowl Falls.
Lower Punch Bowl Falls
Lower Punch Bowl Falls is a rare place along the Eagle Creek Trail that lets you get down to the water. A rocky shoreline allows you to explore a small section of the creek and enjoy its cascades. In summer, it’s a great place to wade and cool off.
Eagle Creek
Looking upstream, you’ll see a pile of boulders and logs forming a small wall. A landslide in 2018 deposited this debris. Punch Bowl Falls is on the other side but inaccessible from this route in winter since the landslide. When water levels are lower in the summer, a motivated person could scramble over the rocks and logs to see the waterfall.
A landslide blocks access upstream of Lower Punch Bowl Falls
After admiring Lower Punch Bowl Falls, head back up the hill and return to the main trail. A sign will point the way.
This sign points toward Punch Bowl Falls
Just ahead, you’ll reach the hike’s finale, a viewpoint overlooking magnificent Punch Bowl Falls. This 35-foot waterfall makes a single powerful plunge into a round pool ringed with a basalt amphitheater. A fenced viewpoint allows you to see the falls face-on, but I prefer the views from the trail about 100 feet past this overlook, where it is easier to see the pool. Make sure to stay on the trail. It is a steep drop off a crumbling slope if you leave it. After seeing the falls, turn around and head back the way you came, or read on for more destinations on the trail.
Punch Bowl Falls
More destinations on the Eagle Creek Trail
Tish Creek
Fair warning, this hike is hard to stop. After Punch Bowl Falls, it continues next to Eagle Creek with great views from the trail. Just past the falls, you’ll cross the Tish Creek Bridge. Several destinations along the trail make for good turnaround points if you’re not quite ready to stop at Punch Bowl Falls.
Continue another 0.5 miles or so past Punch Bowl Falls to see 88-foot Loowit Falls.
A little past Loowit Falls, you’ll reach High Bridge, which crosses Eagle Creek from 120 feet overhead. An out-and-back hike from the Eagle Creek trailhead to High Bridge is a little over 6 miles.
For an ambitious day with big payoffs, hike 12 miles out and back on the Eagle Creek trail to Tunnel Falls.
Enjoy your hike on the Eagle Creek Trail!
With love,
Emma
Further reading:
For more info about the geology of the Eagle Creek Trail and the Columbia Gorge, check out Ellen Morris Bishop’s Hiking Oregon’s Geology.
And that’s when the rain started in earnest…
Getting there
To reach the Eagle Creek Trailhead from Portland, take I-84 East until Exit 41. Then, take a right onto NE Eagle Creek Loop and follow it past the fish hatchery until you reach the trailhead. The drive from Portland takes about 40 minutes.
Explore nearby
For a shorter and safer alternative to the Eagle Creek Trail, try out the hike to Wahclella Falls. This one is great for kids and dogs.
Find more hiking suggestions in the Columbia Gorge.
