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Difference between revisions of "Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls Hike"

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

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[[Category:All Season Hikes]]
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[[Category:Northwest Oregon]]
 
[[Category:Columbia River Gorge]]
 
[[Category:Columbia River Gorge]]
[[Category:Creeks]]
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[[Category:Accessibility Information]]
 +
[[Category:Creek Hikes]]
 
[[Category:Crowded Hikes]]
 
[[Category:Crowded Hikes]]
[[Category:Family Friendly Hikes]]
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[[Category:Easy Hikes]]
[[Category:Moderate Hikes]]
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[[Category:Exposed Hikes]]
[[Category:Northwest Oregon]]
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[[Category:Family Hikes]]
[[Category:Old Growth Forest]]
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[[Category:All Season Hikes]]
[[Category:Pass Required]]
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[[Category:Old Growth Hikes]]
[[Category:Viewpoint Hikes]]
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[[Category:Waterfall Hikes]]
 
[[Category:Waterfall Hikes]]
 +
[[Category:Wildflower Hikes]]
 +
[[Category:Hikes]]
  
[[Image:PunchbowlFalls.jpg|thumb|400px|Punchbowl Falls]]
+
[[Image:PunchbowlFalls.jpg|thumb|400px|Punch Bowl Falls from the overlook (taken before the 2017 fire) ''(Tom Kloster)'']]
 +
[[Image:Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena var. caurina), Eagle Creek.jpg|thumb|250px|Farewell-to-spring ''(Clarkia amoena var. caurina)'', Eagle Creek Trail ''(bobcat)'']]
 +
[[Image:Hello!, Eagle Creek.jpg|thumb|250px|Curious hiker on the cliff walk ''(bobcat)'']]
 +
[[Image:Cut-leaf penstemon (Penstemon richardsonii), Eagle Creek Trail.jpg|thumb|250px|Cut-leaf penstemon ''(Penstemon richardsonii)'', Eagle Creek Trail ''(bobcat)'']]
 +
[[Image:MetlakoFalls.jpg|thumb|250px|Metlako Falls ''(Jeff Statt)'']]
 +
[[Image:Landslide, Lower Punch Bowl Falls, Eagle Creek Trail.jpg|thumb|250px|The 2018 landslide above Lower Punch Bowl Falls, Eagle Creek ''(bobcat)'']]
 +
[[Image:Big crib wall, Eagle Creek Trail.jpg|thumb|250px|New PCTA crib wall on the Eagle Creek Trail ''(bobcat)'']]
 +
[[Image:EagleCreekTrail01.jpg|thumb|160px|One of the cliff sections: these may be unsafe for small children ''(Jeff Statt)'']]
 +
[[Image:PunchbowlFallsMap.JPG|thumb|400px|The Eagle Creek Trail to Punch Bowl Falls and Lower Punch Bowl Falls]]
  
* Start point: [[Eagle Creek Trailhead]]
+
{{Start point|Eagle Creek Trailhead}}
* End point: [[Punchbowl Falls]]
+
* End point: [[Punch Bowl Falls]]
* Trail Log: [[Eagle Creek to Punchbowl Falls Hike/Log|Trail Log]]
+
* Hike type: Out and back
* Hike Type: Out and Back
+
{{Distance|4.2 miles}} (round trip)
* Distance: 4 miles (round trip)
+
{{Elevation gain|525 feet}}
* Elevation Gain: 400 feet
+
* High point: 505 feet
* Difficulty: Easy to moderate
+
{{Difficulty|Easy}}
 
* Seasons: Year round
 
* Seasons: Year round
 
* Backpackable: No
 
* Backpackable: No
** (but there are backpacking options further up trail)
+
* Family Friendly: Yes, for older kids
 
* Crowded: Yes
 
* Crowded: Yes
* Family Friendly: Yes
+
* [[Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls Accessibility Information]]
** (only children 10 and up, due to cliffy sections of trail)
+
{{Hazards|f=y|p=y}}
  
== Hike Description ==
+
=== **Falling Hazard** ===
[[Image:EagleCreekTrail01.jpg|thumb|188px|Some areas may be a bit unsafe for small children|left]]
+
Be careful with dogs or small children on the Eagle Creek Trail. There is a steep cliff to one side of the trail in several sections. Dogs must be on a leash at all times.
Eagle Creek is the quintessential hike in the [[:Category:Columbia River Gorge|Columbia River Gorge]], boasting dozens of spectacular waterfalls, tall basalt cliffs, and the lush temperate rain forests that so characterize the Pacific Northwest. It is considered by many to be one of the most resplendent hiking destinations in the Northwest -- no doubt, essential fare for Portland-area outdoor lovers.
+
  
What makes Eagle Creek even more popular is the number of ways one can enjoy it! There are options that can take 3 hours to 3 days depending on how far you go!  In fact, one could literally hike to Mexico starting from the [[Eagle Creek Trailhead]], as it eventually intersects with the [[Eagle Crest Junction|Pacific Crest Trail]] some 13 miles in.  In fact, many PCT thru-hikers will choose to divert their usual course over the [[Benson Plateau]] to take in the splendid beauty of the Eagle Creek gorge.
+
=== Hike Description ===
 +
The Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls hike is one of the shorter options for taking in the beauty of the [[Columbia River Gorge]] and perhaps is the most popular, taking in three of the 10 major waterfalls to be seen along the creek and its tributaries. Note that the name of the waterfall is correctly spelled as two words, i.e. "Punch Bowl" not "Punchbowl."
  
Maybe as impressive as the Gorge itself, is the story of how it was built.  It was created in the early 1900s as part of an effort to begin preserving parkland areas in the Columbia River Gorge, where industry was rapidly encroaching. In some sections, workers used dynamite to blast the trail into the side of the cliffs.  Soon thousands of people could enjoy areas that were impossible to traverse otherwise. The original trail has remained nearly unchanged to this day.
+
The Eagle Creek Trail is the quintessential hike in the [[Columbia River Gorge]], boasting several spectacular waterfalls, tall basalt cliffs, and the lush temperate rain forests that so characterize the Pacific Northwest. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire has scarred the landscape, however, although the trail, reopened in 2021 after much painstaking labor by the PCTA (Pacific Crest Trail Association), is fully intact. That lush forest canopy has completely burned off in places, and an understory of sun-loving shrubbery has grown up along much of the lower section of the trail. The blackened snags and scorched trunks of conifers stand out on the steep hillsides above the Eagle Creek gorge.
  
The '''Eagle Creek to Punchbowl Falls''' hike is one of the shorter options for taking in the beauty of the gorge, and perhaps is the most popular.  Starting at the trailhead, you take the wide well-groomed trail along the creek for a stretch, then alternating in and out of a young deciduous forest before beginning to take on elevation.
+
Maybe as impressive as the trail itself is the story of how it was built. It was begun in 1915 as part of the work on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The East Side Progressive Businessman's Club of Portland was behind some of the funding, with the total construction cost put at $18,600. In many sections, workers used dynamite to blast the trail out of cliff faces. The Forest Service's first full-service campground was established where the fish hatchery now is, and soon thousands of people could enjoy areas that were impossible to traverse otherwise. The original trail has remained nearly unchanged to this day although some work to widen the route was accomplished by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935.
  
Before you've gone a mile you'll find yourself high above the creek, which has now opened up to a glorious valley. Many months the fog hangs low in the canyon, blocking your view of the snow-encrusted cliff-sides towering around you. In places the trail is narrow and the drop-off is quite steep.  Cable lines were built into the walls in sections to provide some stability.
+
Starting at the trailhead, pass a weir, and then follow the wide well-groomed trail above the creek for a stretch. The steep slopes above you are composed of conglomerates from the Eagle Creek Formation, sedimentary deposits laid down by the ancient Columbia River millions of years before the Columbia River Basalt Flows. In fact, you'll soon pass a large fossil tree stump, now much diminished because of the depredations of decades of souvenir snatchers. Also, you'll notice blackened conifers from the 2017 fire almost immediately, and most of the maples went up in flames but are vigorously sprouting back from their lignotubers. After you pass into a dripping grotto festooned with maidenhair fern, you'll rise above the Eagle Creek Formation and reach cliffs of Columbia River Basalts where the trail was blasted out of the rock. Here there is the first set of handrail cables, one of several along the trail. Penstemon, arnica, and saxifrage cling to the rocky fastness. Looking across the gorge, you can see different layers of basalt entablature separated by narrower bands of colonnade. Many months, the fog hangs low in the canyon, blocking your view of the sheer basalt walls towering above you. In places the trail is narrow, and you need to take care when passing others.
  
[[Image:EagleCreekTrail02.jpg|thumb|250px|Greenery abounds along the Eagle Creek trail|left]]
+
Soon you'll reach your second cliff face, also with a cable handrail. The small oaks on this steep slope were burned but are coming back from their bases. Conifers at the bottom of the canyon survived the fire with a full canopy, but you'll pass through a scorched area where fireweed, thimbleberry, poison oak, and ocean spray flourish. After you walk between two large Douglas-firs, you will see up the narrow gorge to the lower horsetail of 100-foot [[Sorenson Falls]] splashing off the east rim. Then 82-foot [[Metlako Falls]] spouts on Eagle Creek itself, where it makes a tight turn east. This will be your best sighting of [[Metlako Falls]] as the former overlook, on a now abandoned spur trail off the trail ahead, disappeared in a landslide in December 2016. As you turn into a gully, you'll get a glimpse of the top of [[Metlako Falls]] across the gorge and then cross [[Sorenson Creek Crossing|Sorenson Creek]], with its round concrete steps.  
As the trail steadily gains elevation, it begins to divert away from the creek.  You'll notice the quiet as you ascend away from the rushing water and deeper into the lush old-growth forests of douglas fir, cedar and hemlock. Dewy ferns, moss-covered rocks, and sometimes poison oak blanket the forest floor. You will be surprised at the beauty and quiet of these sections, which at times are like scenes from a fairy tale.
+
  
Along the rest of the hike, you'll cross various side-creeks -- some by rock steps, many by footbridges. Be sure to look upstream as you pass by -- especially in the wetter months -- as you will be treated to waterfalls and more lush greenery.
+
At the junction with the [[Eagle Creek-Lower Punch Bowl Trail Junction|Lower Punch Bowl Trail #440B]], you can go right to switchback down into the gorge, getting views below of little [[Lower Punch Bowl Falls]] above a logjam. The spur trail takes you down about 300 feet in a quarter of a mile.  When you get to the creek, you'll notice a massive amount of debris across the water and a fresh scar on the cliffs opposite. This landslide occurred near the beginning of 2018 and initially blocked the creek. While hikers used to be able to work their way up the wide open, cobbled shoreline to a view of [[Punch Bowl Falls]] about a hundred yards upstream, this is now a rocky scramble.  In the summer months, the shore at [[Lower Punch Bowl Falls]] can be a crowded area, but given the right weekday in the off-season, this is an enchanted, quaint setting as you contemplate the forces of nature.
  
After you've walked about a mile and a half, watch for an obvious spur trail off to your right. The path drops down to an overlook with a view of the magnificent 100-foot [[Metlako Falls]], the tallest falls on Eagle Creek proper.  Metlako seemingly shoots straight out of a cliffside into a large pool below.   
+
Back up at the main Eagle Creek Trail, turn right and cross a massive crib wall constructed by the PCTA at a spot where the trail slid away. Soon, you'll come to the Punch Bowl Falls overlook, where you can view [[Punch Bowl Falls]] spouting into its circular amphitheater and magnificent deep pool below.  You may recognize this viewpoint from photos and postcards.  Please stay inside the guardrails. Every year, there is a story about someone falling from this spot and injuring themselves.
  
Walk back up the spur trail to the main drag and continue southward, winding high away from the gorge with the creek well out of view.  In just over a half-mile you'll be at an obvious, signed junction and resting spot near your destination, [[Punchbowl Falls]].
+
See these other hikes that give you longer alternatives; otherwise return to your vehicle:
 +
* [[Eagle Creek to High Bridge Hike]]
 +
* [[Eagle Creek to Tunnel Falls Hike]]
 +
* [[Eagle Creek to Wahtum Lake Hike]]
  
[[Image:MetlakoFalls.jpg|thumb|250px|Metlako Falls, from a short spur trail]]
 
You can choose to take a spur trail down and to your right, or continue forward about 1/4 mile to the Punchbowl Falls overlook.  The spur trail takes you down about 300 feet in a 1/4 mile.  At the bottom of the steep hill, the improved trail ends at [[Lower Punchbowl Falls]]. Hikers can work their way up the wide open, rocky shoreline to a view of [[Punchbowl Falls]] about a hundred yards from the falls.  In the summer months, this can be a crowded area, but given the right weekday in the off-season, this is a enchantedly, quaint setting as you gaze upstream admiring the gushes of water blasting their way out the chasm.
 
  
Should you choose to continue on, the [[Punchbowl Falls Overlook|'''overlook''']] gives you a great vantage point of the falls from above.  You'll look straight down to the rushing waters and magnificent deep, pool below. You may recognize this viewpoint from photos and postcards. Please stay inside the guardrails. Every year, there is some story about someone falling from this spot and injuring themselves.
+
=== Maps ===
 +
{{Hikemaps|latitude=45.6216|longitude=-121.8946}}
 +
* Green Trails Maps: ''Bonneville Dam, OR #429''
 +
* Green Trails Maps: ''Columbia River Gorge - West #428S''
 +
* Geo-Graphics: ''Trails of the Columbia Gorge''
 +
* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management: ''Columbia River Gorge''
 +
* National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: ''Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area''
  
From this point you can turn around and head back the way you came.  Should you still have energy and want to continue on, there is a lot more to see, including [[Loowit Falls (Eagle Creek)|Loowit Falls]], [[High Bridge]] and [[Tunnel Falls]]. 
+
=== Regulations, fees, etc ===
 
+
* Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required; fee kiosk at the trailhead
See these other hikes that give you longer alternatives:
+
* Restrooms, picnic tables, information kiosk, nearby campground
* [[Eagle Creek to High Bridge Hike]]
+
* Dogs on leash
* [[Eagle Creek to Tunnel Falls Hike]]
+
* Limited parking; if lot is full, go back to the [[Eagle Creek Day Use Trailhead]]
* [[Eagle Creek to Wahtum Lake Hike]]
+
{{-}}
+
== Maps ==
+
[[Image:PunchbowlFallsMap.JPG|thumb|250px|Map, GPS track in jpeg format]]
+
* See clickable image to the right
+
{{Maplinks|latitude=45.6316|longitude=-121.90693}}
+
  
== Trip Reports ==
+
{{TripReports|Eagle Creek Punch Bowl Falls}}
* [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/thread/7233.aspx Eagle Creek to Tunnel Falls 9/23/06 - 9/24/06]
+
* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30642  Eagle Creek (Gorge) 12/26/22]
* [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/post/3297.aspx Eagle Creek to Wahtum Lake, and Chinidere Mt 7/12/06 - 7/14/06]
+
* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30470  Punch Bowl Falls 8/05/22]
(Click [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/AddPost.aspx?ForumID=8 here] to add your own)
+
* [https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=29439  Eagle Creek 1-1-2021]
  
== Related Discussions / Q&A ==
+
{{RelatedDiscussions|Eagle Creek Punch Bowl Falls}}
* (Click [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/AddPost.aspx?ForumID=141 here] to ask a question or start a conversation)
+
  
== Guidebooks that cover this hike ==
+
=== Guidebooks that cover this hike ===
* ''Day Hike! Columbia Gorge'', by Saebury Blair, Jr.
+
* ''I Heart Oregon (& Washington)'' by Lisa D. Holmes
* ''Afoot and Afield Portland/Vancouver'', by Douglas Lorain
+
* ''Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver'' by Douglas Lorain
* ''35 Hiking Trails, Columbia River Gorge'', by Don & Roberta Lowe
+
* ''100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon'' by William L. Sullivan
* ''Columbia River Gorge, 42 Scenic Hikes'', by Don & Roberta Lowe
+
* ''Trips & Trails: Oregon'' by William L. Sullivan
* ''Hiking the Columbia River Gorge'' - 1st and 2nd Editions, by Russ Schneider
+
* ''Take a Hike: Portland'' by Barbara I. Bond
* ''100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon'' - 3rd Edition, by William L Sullivan
+
* ''Hiking Oregon’s Geology'' by Ellen Morris Bishop
 +
* ''Wine Hiking Oregon'' by Jack Costa
 +
* ''PDX Hiking 365'' by Matt Reeder
 +
* ''Curious Gorge'' by Scott Cook
 +
* ''Pokin’ Round the Gorge'' by Scott Cook
 +
* ''Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge'' by Craig Romano
 +
* ''Day Hikes in the Columbia Gorge'' by Don J. Scarmuzzi
 +
* ''60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland'' by Paul Gerald
 +
* ''Best Hikes Near Portland, Oregon'' by Fred Barstad
 +
* ''Day Hike! Columbia Gorge'' by Seabury Blair, Jr.
 +
* ''Oregon: The Creaky Knees Guide'' by Seabury Blair, Jr.
 +
* ''Portland Hikes'' by Art Bernstein & Andrew Jackman
 +
* ''Columbia Gorge Getaways'' by Laura O. Foster
 +
* ''Hiking the Columbia River Gorge'' by Russ Schneider; revised by Jim Yuskavich
 +
* ''Best Hikes with Children: Western & Central Oregon'' by Bonnie Henderson
 +
* ''Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon'' by Rhonda & George Ostertag
 +
* ''Oregon Hiking'' by Sean Patrick Hill
 +
* ''Pacific Northwest Hiking'' by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
 +
* ''Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon'' by Adam Sawyer
 +
* ''Best Outdoor Adventures Near Portland, Oregon'' by Adam Sawyer
 +
* ''Hiking Oregon'' by Lizann Dunegan
 +
* ''Hike America: Oregon'' by Lizann Dunegan
 +
* ''50 Hikes in Oregon'' by David L. Anderson
 +
* ''Oregon’s Wilderness Areas'' by George Wuerthner
 +
* ''100 Oregon Hiking Trails'' by Don & Roberta Lowe
 +
* ''Short Trips & Trails: The Columbia Gorge'' by Oral Bullard & Don Lowe
 +
* ''70 Virtual Hikes of the Columbia River Gorge'' by Northwest Hiker
 +
* ''Oregon’s Best Wildflower Hikes: Northwest Region'' by George Wuerthner
 +
* ''Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge: Camping & Hiking'' by Tom Steinstra & Sean Patrick Hill
 +
* ''Best Dog Hikes: Oregon'' by Adam Sawyer
 +
* ''Canine Oregon'' by Lizann Dunegan
 +
* ''Fire, Faults, and Floods: A Road & Trail Guide Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin'' by Marge & Ted Mueller
 +
* ''Waterfall Lover’s Guide: Pacific Northwest'' by Gregory A. Plumb
 +
* ''Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest'' by David L. Anderson
  
== More Links ==
+
=== More Links ===
* Information, history and photos of Eagle Creek at [http://www.splintercat.org/EagleCreek/EagleMainPage.html Splintercat.org]  
+
* [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=29912  Eagle Creek Trailhead & Trail (#440) (USFS)]
* [http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall.php?num=1561&p=0 Punchbowls Falls] from Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest
+
* [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recarea/?recid=30064  Lower Punch Bowl Trail (#440B) (USFS)]
* [http://nwhiker.com/CGNSAHike55.html NWHiker.com Hike #55]
+
* [https://gorgefriends.org/hike-the-gorge/eagle-creek-to-punchbowl-falls.html Eagle Creek to Punchbowl Falls (Friends of the Columbia Gorge)]
 +
* [https://oregonwild.org/eagle-creek-punchbowl-falls  Eagle Creek to Punchbowl Falls (Oregon Wild)]
 +
* [http://nwhiker.com/CGNSAHike55.html  Metlako Falls and Punchbowl Falls Hike (Northwest Hiker)]
 +
* [https://www.protrails.com/trail/873/portland-columbia-river-gorge-punchbowl-falls  Punchbowl Falls (ProTrails)]
 +
* [https://wyeastblog.org/2018/05/28/cliff-collapse-at-punch-bowl-falls/  Cliff Collapse at Punch Bowl Falls! (WyEast Blog)]
 +
* [https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Sorenson-Falls-3895  Sorenson Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)]
 +
* [https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Metlako-Falls-3896  Metlako Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)]
 +
* [https://wyeastblog.org/2017/01/31/metlako-landslide/  Metlako Landslide! (WyEast Blog)]
 +
* [https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Lower-Punch-Bowl-Falls-4031  Lower Punch Bowl Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)]
 +
* [https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Punch-Bowl-Falls-3881  Punch Bowl Falls (Northwest Waterfall Survey)]
 +
* [https://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/waterfalls/pacific-northwest-punch-bowl-falls/  Punch Bowl Falls (World of Waterfalls)]
 +
* [https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2016/07/now_100_years_old_eagle_creek.html  "Now 100 years old, Eagle Creek helped revolutionize camping in the 20th century" (Oregon Live)]
 +
* [http://www.splintercat.org/EagleCreek/EagleHistory.html Eagle Creek History (Splintercat)]
 +
* [http://oregonwildflowers.org/viewlocation.php?ID=34  Eagle Creek (OregonWildflowers.org)]
 +
* [https://nwwildflowers.com/places/Eagle_Creek  Eagle Creek (Northwest Wildflowers)]
 +
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Creek_Fire  Eagle Creek Fire (Wikipedia)]
  
  
== Contributors ==
+
=== Contributors ===
 
* [[User:jeffstatt|jeffstatt]]
 
* [[User:jeffstatt|jeffstatt]]

Latest revision as of 04:20, 12 December 2023

Punch Bowl Falls from the overlook (taken before the 2017 fire) (Tom Kloster)
Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena var. caurina), Eagle Creek Trail (bobcat)
Curious hiker on the cliff walk (bobcat)
Cut-leaf penstemon (Penstemon richardsonii), Eagle Creek Trail (bobcat)
Metlako Falls (Jeff Statt)
The 2018 landslide above Lower Punch Bowl Falls, Eagle Creek (bobcat)
New PCTA crib wall on the Eagle Creek Trail (bobcat)
One of the cliff sections: these may be unsafe for small children (Jeff Statt)
The Eagle Creek Trail to Punch Bowl Falls and Lower Punch Bowl Falls
Falling
Poison-Oak

Contents

**Falling Hazard**

Be careful with dogs or small children on the Eagle Creek Trail. There is a steep cliff to one side of the trail in several sections. Dogs must be on a leash at all times.

Hike Description

The Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls hike is one of the shorter options for taking in the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge and perhaps is the most popular, taking in three of the 10 major waterfalls to be seen along the creek and its tributaries. Note that the name of the waterfall is correctly spelled as two words, i.e. "Punch Bowl" not "Punchbowl."

The Eagle Creek Trail is the quintessential hike in the Columbia River Gorge, boasting several spectacular waterfalls, tall basalt cliffs, and the lush temperate rain forests that so characterize the Pacific Northwest. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire has scarred the landscape, however, although the trail, reopened in 2021 after much painstaking labor by the PCTA (Pacific Crest Trail Association), is fully intact. That lush forest canopy has completely burned off in places, and an understory of sun-loving shrubbery has grown up along much of the lower section of the trail. The blackened snags and scorched trunks of conifers stand out on the steep hillsides above the Eagle Creek gorge.

Maybe as impressive as the trail itself is the story of how it was built. It was begun in 1915 as part of the work on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The East Side Progressive Businessman's Club of Portland was behind some of the funding, with the total construction cost put at $18,600. In many sections, workers used dynamite to blast the trail out of cliff faces. The Forest Service's first full-service campground was established where the fish hatchery now is, and soon thousands of people could enjoy areas that were impossible to traverse otherwise. The original trail has remained nearly unchanged to this day although some work to widen the route was accomplished by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935.

Starting at the trailhead, pass a weir, and then follow the wide well-groomed trail above the creek for a stretch. The steep slopes above you are composed of conglomerates from the Eagle Creek Formation, sedimentary deposits laid down by the ancient Columbia River millions of years before the Columbia River Basalt Flows. In fact, you'll soon pass a large fossil tree stump, now much diminished because of the depredations of decades of souvenir snatchers. Also, you'll notice blackened conifers from the 2017 fire almost immediately, and most of the maples went up in flames but are vigorously sprouting back from their lignotubers. After you pass into a dripping grotto festooned with maidenhair fern, you'll rise above the Eagle Creek Formation and reach cliffs of Columbia River Basalts where the trail was blasted out of the rock. Here there is the first set of handrail cables, one of several along the trail. Penstemon, arnica, and saxifrage cling to the rocky fastness. Looking across the gorge, you can see different layers of basalt entablature separated by narrower bands of colonnade. Many months, the fog hangs low in the canyon, blocking your view of the sheer basalt walls towering above you. In places the trail is narrow, and you need to take care when passing others.

Soon you'll reach your second cliff face, also with a cable handrail. The small oaks on this steep slope were burned but are coming back from their bases. Conifers at the bottom of the canyon survived the fire with a full canopy, but you'll pass through a scorched area where fireweed, thimbleberry, poison oak, and ocean spray flourish. After you walk between two large Douglas-firs, you will see up the narrow gorge to the lower horsetail of 100-foot Sorenson Falls splashing off the east rim. Then 82-foot Metlako Falls spouts on Eagle Creek itself, where it makes a tight turn east. This will be your best sighting of Metlako Falls as the former overlook, on a now abandoned spur trail off the trail ahead, disappeared in a landslide in December 2016. As you turn into a gully, you'll get a glimpse of the top of Metlako Falls across the gorge and then cross Sorenson Creek, with its round concrete steps.

At the junction with the Lower Punch Bowl Trail #440B, you can go right to switchback down into the gorge, getting views below of little Lower Punch Bowl Falls above a logjam. The spur trail takes you down about 300 feet in a quarter of a mile. When you get to the creek, you'll notice a massive amount of debris across the water and a fresh scar on the cliffs opposite. This landslide occurred near the beginning of 2018 and initially blocked the creek. While hikers used to be able to work their way up the wide open, cobbled shoreline to a view of Punch Bowl Falls about a hundred yards upstream, this is now a rocky scramble. In the summer months, the shore at Lower Punch Bowl Falls can be a crowded area, but given the right weekday in the off-season, this is an enchanted, quaint setting as you contemplate the forces of nature.

Back up at the main Eagle Creek Trail, turn right and cross a massive crib wall constructed by the PCTA at a spot where the trail slid away. Soon, you'll come to the Punch Bowl Falls overlook, where you can view Punch Bowl Falls spouting into its circular amphitheater and magnificent deep pool below. You may recognize this viewpoint from photos and postcards. Please stay inside the guardrails. Every year, there is a story about someone falling from this spot and injuring themselves.

See these other hikes that give you longer alternatives; otherwise return to your vehicle:


Maps

  • Maps: Hike Finder
  • Green Trails Maps: Bonneville Dam, OR #429
  • Green Trails Maps: Columbia River Gorge - West #428S
  • Geo-Graphics: Trails of the Columbia Gorge
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management: Columbia River Gorge
  • National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

Regulations, fees, etc

  • Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required; fee kiosk at the trailhead
  • Restrooms, picnic tables, information kiosk, nearby campground
  • Dogs on leash
  • Limited parking; if lot is full, go back to the Eagle Creek Day Use Trailhead

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • I Heart Oregon (& Washington) by Lisa D. Holmes
  • Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
  • 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon by William L. Sullivan
  • Trips & Trails: Oregon by William L. Sullivan
  • Take a Hike: Portland by Barbara I. Bond
  • Hiking Oregon’s Geology by Ellen Morris Bishop
  • Wine Hiking Oregon by Jack Costa
  • PDX Hiking 365 by Matt Reeder
  • Curious Gorge by Scott Cook
  • Pokin’ Round the Gorge by Scott Cook
  • Day Hiking: Columbia River Gorge by Craig Romano
  • Day Hikes in the Columbia Gorge by Don J. Scarmuzzi
  • 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
  • Best Hikes Near Portland, Oregon by Fred Barstad
  • Day Hike! Columbia Gorge by Seabury Blair, Jr.
  • Oregon: The Creaky Knees Guide by Seabury Blair, Jr.
  • Portland Hikes by Art Bernstein & Andrew Jackman
  • Columbia Gorge Getaways by Laura O. Foster
  • Hiking the Columbia River Gorge by Russ Schneider; revised by Jim Yuskavich
  • Best Hikes with Children: Western & Central Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
  • Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon by Rhonda & George Ostertag
  • Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
  • Pacific Northwest Hiking by Scott Leonard & Sean Patrick Hill
  • Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon by Adam Sawyer
  • Best Outdoor Adventures Near Portland, Oregon by Adam Sawyer
  • Hiking Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
  • Hike America: Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
  • 50 Hikes in Oregon by David L. Anderson
  • Oregon’s Wilderness Areas by George Wuerthner
  • 100 Oregon Hiking Trails by Don & Roberta Lowe
  • Short Trips & Trails: The Columbia Gorge by Oral Bullard & Don Lowe
  • 70 Virtual Hikes of the Columbia River Gorge by Northwest Hiker
  • Oregon’s Best Wildflower Hikes: Northwest Region by George Wuerthner
  • Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge: Camping & Hiking by Tom Steinstra & Sean Patrick Hill
  • Best Dog Hikes: Oregon by Adam Sawyer
  • Canine Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
  • Fire, Faults, and Floods: A Road & Trail Guide Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin by Marge & Ted Mueller
  • Waterfall Lover’s Guide: Pacific Northwest by Gregory A. Plumb
  • Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest by David L. Anderson

More Links


Contributors

Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

Hiking is a potentially risky activity, and the entire risk for users of this field guide is assumed by the user, and in no event shall Trailkeepers of Oregon be liable for any injury or damages suffered as a result of relying on content in this field guide. All content posted on the field guide becomes the property of Trailkeepers of Oregon, and may not be used without permission.