One of the reasons I was drawn to the northwest is the infinite amount of natural landscape; each one different than the next. Even in a lifetime a person would be hard pressed to see it all.Â
Eagle Creek lies 42 miles from Downtown Portland. It has been one of the staple locations to bring anyone coming to visit the area. Within the first 2 miles the hike offers some great vantage points over the river leading into the Columbia River Gorge and at least 3 waterfalls that deserve some time to appreciate.
Punchbowl is the most infamous waterfall on this hike. Cascading around 2 miles in it becomes a great destination for a short hike. For some years this has been as far as I have explored. When Ben talked about hiking eagle creek I saw the opportunity to venture further up river to Tunnel Falls.
After passing several other waterfalls, a few bridge crossings and what looks to be some promising camping spots for the near future we came to Tunnel Falls. At 165 ft. the water cascades from the forest above, streaming over an 8' by 6' tunnel which travels behind the falls. The trail continues on from here up to Wahtum lake. At almost 13 miles this would be an adventure for another day.Â
Eagle Creek trail to Tunnel Falls made for a good days hike, with several points of interest along the way.
The weather was cold at times, but remained dry and sunny for much of the day. After being further up river I know there will be more days spent up here exploring.
