Revision as of 08:05, 9 March 2007

Twister Falls

Looking due North from the top of the falls at the sometimes precarious trail

Looking down the twisting cascade

• Hikes including this location
  • Eagle Creek to Wahtum Lake Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)
  • Tanner-Eagle Traverse Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)
• Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
• Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
• Latitude, Longitude: 45.58208, -121.85213
• Elevation: 1289 feet
• Height: about 200 feet
• Stream: Eagle Creek

Description

Twister Falls is an impressive two-tiered falls near Tunnel Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. It is the last major falls along the Eagle Creek trail. It is also the tallest by more than 50 feet! Most hikers will never see the full front-end view of the falls - as it would require a difficult and often dangerous creek traverse. The main trail only affords the passerby a view of the much shorter, but very distinctive upper tier.

Twister Falls suffers from an identity crisis. The geologic survey has never officially named the falls. Some book authors have named it "Eagle Creek Falls" (and the name has gotten some legs) but they've also been referred to as "Crossover Falls", "Crisscross Falls" and "Bowtie Falls" in various hardcopy and online resources -- certainly all in deference to the cris-cross nature of the upper cascade.

If you have ever hiked to Tunnel Falls you may be surprised to hear how close this is! It is certainly worth the extra 1/2 mile round trip - if not for the falls, but for the breathtaking gorge path leading up to it. Hikers refer to this narrow stretch of trail as the Vertigo Mile due to the dizzying 200 foot drop-off. For some, this is the most beautiful portion of the trek

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Twister Falls

• Eagle Creek to Tunnel Falls 9/23 - 9/24
• Timberline Lodge to Cascade Locks 8/23/06 through 8/26/06
• Eagle Creek to Wahtum Lake, and Chinidere Mt 7/12 - 7/14

(Click here to add your own)

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Twister Falls
• Trip Report - Eagle Creek - 12/18/2006 (Trail conditions after recent storm)
• Mt Hood to the Columbia River via Eagle Creek over July 4th

(Click here to ask a question or start a conversation)

Guidebooks that cover this destination

• Day Hike! Columbia Gorge, by Seabury Blair, Jr.
• 60 Hikes within 60 miles of Portland, by Paul Gerald
• Afoot and Afield Portland/Vancouver, by Douglas Lorain
• 35 Hiking Trails, Columbia River Gorge, by Don & Roberta Lowe
• Columbia River Gorge, 42 Scenic Hikes, by Don & Roberta Lowe
• A Waterfall Lovers Guide to the Pacific Northwest - 3rd Edition, by Gregory Plumb
• Hiking the Columbia River Gorge - 1st and 2nd Editions, by Russ Schneider
• 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon - 3rd Edition, by William L Sullivan

More Links

• NWHiker.com Hike #37

Contributors

• jeffstatt (creator)

The creek just upstream of the falls