Eagle Creek — Sunday, Jul. 31, 2016

Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - OR

I was in Portland for the weekend and took the opportunity to spend a sunny Sunday at Eagle Creek. It was just me, my family, and about 4000 other hikers. We started by parking on the other side of the freeway which must have added a mile or more to the trip, then hit the trail at noon. There were some shady wooded parts, but most of this trail is out in the sun. Bring lots of water or a filter to fill up from the creek. This trail was blasted out of the rock in the early 1900s. There are cable handrails for the steep narrow parts. This would be a challenge if you're afraid of heights but we never felt like it was too risky or dangerous. There are a number of bridges along the way. One was damaged last winter but it's easy enough to cross the creek. You will see beautiful waterfalls along the way and find a couple places for cooling off in the creek but Tunnel Falls was the highlight for us. It's huge and powerful and so beautiful. A little piece of paradise. We spent 7 hours on the trail. Stopped for lunch and swimming twice. At one point on the way back the crowd by Punchbowl Falls was so bad it reminded me of Christmas shopping at the mall. It really is an unforgettable trail. We all have sore feet from walking on the rocky trail but I'd do it again, perhaps on a weekday when it's not so crowded.