Eagle Creek Staircase
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes including this location:
- Tooth Rock Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Tanner Creek to Eagle Creek Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.63946, -121.93185
- Elevation: 135 feet
Description
When the old Historic Columbia River Highway was reopened as a trail in 1996, some of it was just missing. Trail builders used a variety of techniques to connect the sections. Here, east of Tooth Rock, a large section of the road and the rock beneath it was blasted away to provide an approach to the new Tooth Rock Tunnel in 1937. The new highway surface is about 40 feet lower than the old. Trail builders had to resort to a staircase to link the two sections together. Bicyclists will need to get off and walk, but a bike groove has been provided alongside the stairway to facilitate pushing bikes.
However, the staircase is not ADA-compliant, and there are plans to replace it with a viaduct that will connect both levels of the Historic Highway Trail.
A few feet west of the Stop sign at the top of the staircase is a hidden junction with another historic trail. This trail follows an 1856 portage road westward over the ridge behind Tooth Rock. The old wagon road has become very overgrown and blocked by downed trees since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. It reconnects with the Historical Columbia River Highway State Trail near the Tooth Rock Trailhead (see the Tooth Rock Loop Hike).
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Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)