Hike Oregon’s Eagle Creek Trail

The Eagle Creek Trail is one of the most popular trails in Oregon, and for good reason. It is not only beloved for its spectacular scenery, but its gentle and slight elevation gain (about 1000 feet over 6 miles) gives it one of the best reward-for-effort ratios of any hike in Oregon.

On this hike you'll see lush forests, a wild creek, lots of waterfalls, and towering walls of rock above the creek. You can make the hike as long or as short as you want to. Many people hike just to Punchbowl Falls, a round trip of just 4 miles. If you have a day to hike the trail, however, you'll want to head for Tunnel Falls, 6 miles up the trail, for a 12 mile round trip. It's worth it.

The trail was cut and blasted by Italian Engineers nearly a century ago. As you hike the trail, you'll realize that it was quite an engineering feat. There are places where the trail is a narrow path blasted from the side a cliff. In these places, there are cables bolted into the rock for those who are bothered by heights. Most people probably won't find them necessary, however.

To get there from Portland, go east on I-84 (from downtown, about 40 miles). Take exit 41, marked "Eagle Creek" If you are approaching Eagle Creek from the east, be aware that the Eagle Creek exit only serves the eastbound lane on I-84. You will need to go about a mile up the freeway and turn around at Bonneville Dam. Likewise, those returning to Portland after their hike will need to continue east on the freeway to Cascade Locks and turn around.

There are two parking areas for Eagle Creek: right by the fish hatchery and campground, and at the end of a half-mile, one lane road, right by the trailhead. If you go on a weekend in the summer, it may be difficult to find parking by the trailhead. Parking by the fish hatchery adds only a mile to your hike, and the Forest Service posts that your car is safer by the fish hatchery, which I can believe. Parking requires a day use permit ($5, available at the campground or the trailhead, cash or check) or a yearly NW Forest Pass ($30).

About 1 1/2 miles up the trail, you'll come to your first major waterfall, Metlako Falls. The trail to the viewpoint is very short, and takes just a few minutes. A short ways up the trail, you'll come to the cutoff for Punchbowl falls. It's about a half mile round trip to see the falls from below, and it's well worth it. If this is your destination, the rocky bank of Eagle Creek is a great place to have a picnic lunch on the rocks and wade in the water before returning.

Punchbowl Falls to the Wilderness Boundary
If you go on, you'll reach a viewpoint above Punchbowl Falls, then the trail will continue over a couple of bridges, and at about the 4 1/2 mile mark, you'll reach High Bridge, which spans a place where the creek placidly flows through a narrow canyon with sheer walls stretching down straight into the water. Along the way, you'll have seen many small waterfalls, some from smaller creeks flowing into Eagle Creek. At about the five-mile mark, you'll enter a wilderness area, where you'll be required to fill out a permit and attach it to your backpack. This costs nothing and helps the forest service measure trail use.

Tunnel Falls
Just a little ways past the wilderness boundary, you'll come to the Eagle-Benson trail, which connects the Eagle Creek Trail with the Pacific Crest Trail. A little less than a mile past this point, and you've reached Tunnel Falls, a towering waterfall with a tunnel cut through the rock behind the falls.

Although most people turn around at Tunnel Falls, the Eagle Creek trail offers many opportunities for customized and extended hikes.

One challenging day hike possibility is to take the Eagle-Benson Trail to Benson Plateau and the Pacific Crest Trail, then hike back to the campground via Ruckle Creek trail. Warning: this is not your garden-variety day hike, so don't attempt it unless you know what you're doing. It entails an elevation gain of nearly 4000 feet on this 15-mile loop. The Eagle-Benson trail, from Eagle Creek to the Pacific Crest Trail, gains about 3000 feet in 3 miles. Some websites warn that the Eagle-Benson trail is not maintained and hard to follow, but fortunately, this is no longer true; it was recently repaired by the Mazamas. So if you're up for a real challenge to be rewarded with sweeping, breathtaking vistas, it's a great hike.

Another variation you can do is an overnight backpacking trip. You could go to Wahtum Lake or you could loop to the west and take the Tanner Butte trail to Bonneville Dam. You can find good descriptions of these trails in one of the many good guidebooks on hiking in the Columbia River gorge.

Whether you're new to hiking in our neck of the woods or you're a longtime resident, you'll be awed by nature on this hike. So get away from the bustle of civilization and go on a hike!

If you enjoyed this information, be sure to visit my hiking and backpakcing blog for more trail descriptions, hiking info, and more.

Note: This should go without saying, but... don't do anything stupid. You're responsible for your own safety when you hike. Read full spiel here. Be aware that campfires are often not allowed along the Eagle Creek trail. Please help preserve our wilderness and follow Leave No Trace ethics.