Eagle Creek Trail
Eagle Creek Trailhead, Cascade Locks, OR
Columbia River Gorge, OR
One of the most storied hikes in the Columbia River Gorge, a fern-lined path carved into sheer basalt that leads from one waterfall to the next, including the emerald pool of Punch Bowl Falls.
The Eagle Creek Trail is one of the most beloved hikes in the Pacific Northwest, and one of the boldest. Carved by hand into the sheer basalt walls of a Columbia Gorge side canyon in 1915, it clings to the cliffs above the rushing creek, in places with only a cable bolted to the rock for a handhold, and it strings together one waterfall after another as it climbs into the green.
The most famous of them is Punch Bowl Falls, where the creek pours through a narrow notch into a wide, round, emerald pool ringed by mossy walls, one of the most photographed scenes in Oregon. Above it the trail passes more falls, including the remarkable Tunnel Falls, where the path burrows straight through the rock behind a plunging cascade. Lush, dramatic, and a little thrilling, Eagle Creek is the Columbia Gorge at its most magical.
What Guests Love
- A whole chain of waterfalls on a single trail
- The famous emerald green pool at Punch Bowl Falls
- A path literally blasted into the sheer basalt cliffs
- Lush, fern-draped, mossy canyon scenery
Worth Knowing
- Sections of the trail are cut into cliffs with long drops and cable handholds, so watch your footing and keep children close
- The trailhead and lower falls are popular; arrive early for parking, especially on warm weekends
- The area burned in a 2017 wildfire and has been recovering, so check current trail conditions before you go
- It can be muddy and slick in the Gorge's frequent rain, so wear sturdy shoes
Details
Columbia River Gorge, OR
Learn about Eagle Creek Trail
A trail cut into the cliffs
The Eagle Creek Trail was built in 1915 as one of the first recreation trails of its kind, deliberately blasted and chiseled into the basalt cliffs so that hikers could follow the creek up its steep canyon. In places it runs along narrow ledges high above the water, with cables fixed to the rock for security, an engineering feat that made a wild canyon walkable without taming it.
That daring route is part of the trail's fame. It threads through a world of moss, ferns, and dripping stone, with the creek always below and waterfalls appearing around the bends. It rewards care and good footing, and gives back some of the finest canyon scenery anywhere in the Gorge.
Punch Bowl Falls and the waterfall chain
The trail's signature sight is Punch Bowl Falls, where Eagle Creek funnels through a slot in the rock and drops into a broad, round pool the color of jade, cupped by cliffs and forest. Seen from the cobbled bank downstream, it is a picture-perfect Gorge scene and a favorite of photographers. A short way along, Metlako Falls plunges into the canyon from a cliffside viewpoint.
For those who continue, the falls keep coming, culminating miles up the canyon at Tunnel Falls, where the trail passes through a tunnel carved right into the cliff behind the waterfall. Whether you turn around at Punch Bowl or push on to the tunnel, Eagle Creek delivers one of the great waterfall walks in the country.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Columbia River Gorge
Punch Bowl Falls
About 2 miles up the trail
The trail's iconic waterfall, pouring through a rock notch into a wide emerald pool ringed by mossy cliffs.
Bridge of the Gods and Cascade Locks
About 3 miles east
A historic steel bridge across the Columbia and the old river town beside it, in the heart of the Gorge.
Multnomah Falls
About 12 miles west
Oregon's tallest and most famous waterfall, a 620-foot double cascade with a graceful stone footbridge.