First time to Eagle Creek and it was spectacular!  Day 1: Hiked in and camped about a mile or so past Tunnel Falls.  Stopped at each of the falls along the way - each one is so pretty and unique, but Tunnel was breathtaking.  It's worth hiking to the base of the falls before going up through the tunnel behind the falls.  You can really get a sense of the scale from here.  We expected crowds here but saw only one couple taking a timed selfie.  Most of the time we had it to ourselves.  FYI: Metlako Falls (which is well before Tunnel) is closed due to a washout that occurred over the winter.  Day 2: Hiked up to Wahtum Lake and snagged a nice spot on the lake (there are not too many campsites right on the lake so recommend getting there early on a weekend day).  The trail up to Wahtum is a lovely constant gentle ascent through forest with many water crossings.  Lots of flowers and a nice patch of elephant head.  We swam in the lake very briefly - it is still pretty cold!  It became windy overnight but the site was well-sheltered.  Day 3: Hiked to Chinidere Mountain by taking a shortcut trail.  First hiked back to the bottom of the lake, over a log jam on the trail, then up a very steep trail to connect to the PCT.  This shaves off some distance compared to going counterclockwise around the lake, but gets the heart racing!  From PCT took the trail up to the top of Chinidere.  This short trail is well worth it as the views of mountains in both Oregon (Hood, Jefferson) and Washington (St. Helens, Rainier, Adams) are amazing.  Lots of flowers up here too, especially on the south side.  Hiked from Chinidere back to the PCT to connect with the Eagle-Benson Trail. We took this 3 mile, 3000 ft descent back to the Eagle Creek Trail.  The Eagle-Benson trail is very brushy and steep - trekking poles were necessary in many places.  Doesn't seem to be well-maintained but there are no significant obstacles.  Near the bottom the trail goes around the top of a falls and the trail here is very very very exposed.  There is no cable and it is not a trail for children or pets!  There's no water on the trail until almost back to Eagle Creek and much of the trail is in the sun so plan water accordingly.  Once back on Eagle Creek, we headed toward Tunnel to find a campsite near there, but ended up back near the trail intersection at a site without good access to the creek.  We were able to get water about 10 min down the trail (toward TH).  Day 4: Hiked out early and saw Douglas squirrels and a small bunny on the way.  The creek and flowers were beautiful in the early light.

We originally had planned to hike the loop around Tanner Butte with two nights camping. We hiked up eagle creek, past the hordes of people (it was a sunny Saturday). It was absolutely gorgeous. The trail was wet and muddy in places because it rained the night before. Past the cutoff for Whatum Lake, we continued on toward Tanner Butte. The stream crossings we manageable. The trail was somewhat overgrown with several downed trees, but the best part was we didn't see a soul! Once we reached Eagle Creek again, it became apparent we would have to either ford the river or bushwhack down to a beaver dam to cross. Neither seemed appealing at that point so we called it a night and camped in a beautiful sight right by the river. A few people came through that night and in the morning from Tanner Butte and after we were entertained by their fording abilities, they mostly reported that the rest of the trail was "brutal" and "needed maintenance". So we made the call to go back the way we came past the water falls and had a great time going down. It was so warm out we stopped and iced our feet in the steam for a while--felt sooo good! Over all one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Being from dry central Washington, it seemed like a different world. 

Hiked eagle creek to Tunnel Falls on Memorial Day, the crowds were fierce up until about high bridge then died down somewhat. This hike is beautiful and one of my new favorites, the waterfalls are awesome but the gorge scenery and some of the cliff-skirting trail sections made this hike memorable. I think next time I come back I'll make it an overnight trip as finding vacant campsites in the gorge area can be hard and there were plenty of backcountry campsites available past high bridge.

This is a beautiful hike, so many waterfalls along the way, great river views, lush green everywhere, and the wildflowers are starting to come out.

I left Seattle about 10am, stopped for gas etc. and arrived at the trailhead about 2pm. I did find parking, but the lot was pretty full, this is a popular hike. A Northwest Forest pass is required. Even though the parking lot was pretty packed, it didn't really feel very crowded on the actual hike, especially once you continue past Punchbowl Falls.

There are some very steep drop-offs along the hike and if you google "Eagle Creek Trail" you will see that there have been quite a few fatalities along this trail. Any adult using a reasonable amount of caution could easily navigate this hike without any problems, but I would be quite hesitant to bring a small child on this hike. Dogs should be leashed for their own safety. Be careful when passing other hikers.

The hike was long but there's not really any uphill sections, it feels mostly flat. I had my GPS and following this guide really helped orient me: http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Eagle_Creek_to_Tunnel_Falls_Hike/Log

I turned around at Tunnel Falls and make it back to the car at 8. Total hike time a little under 6 hours. My GPS clocked 13.4 miles and 1140 feet of elevation gain.