Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls

Eagle Creek is the quintessential Columbia River Gorge trail, with tall basalt cliffs, temperate rain forest, and waterfall after waterfall along a deeply cut canyon. This 4.2-mile round-trip visits three of the creek's named falls, culminating at Punch Bowl Falls, which drops into a near-perfect amphitheater. The trail was blasted out of cliff faces with dynamite in 1915 as part of the Historic Columbia River Highway work, funded in part by the East Side Progressive Businessman's Club of Portland at a cost of $18,600. It has remained largely unchanged since, with minor Civilian Conservation Corps widening in 1935.

From the weir at the trailhead, the path climbs gradually above the creek past a fire-scarred bigleaf maple zone and a degraded fossil tree stump. Beyond a dripping grotto hung with maidenhair fern, the trail hits the first of several Columbia River Basalt cliff faces. Here the tread narrows and the cables begin — the first handrail of several that protect exposed traverses. Across the canyon, basalt entablature and colonnade stack in bands up the sheer walls. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire scarred much of the canopy; sun-loving shrubs have filled in along the lower trail, and blackened snags stand above the steep hillsides. The trail reopened in 2021 after extensive PCTA rebuilding work.

The falling hazard along this trail is serious — there are steep, unrailed cliff edges in multiple sections, and dogs must be on leash at all times. Check for closures before visiting; the trail is sometimes closed for winter storm damage. Peak-season crowds make the narrow cliff-edge sections difficult to pass safely. Early mornings and weekdays give the best experience. Poison oak grows along several open stretches.