Eagle Creek to Tunnel Falls

Eagle Creek is one of the most storied day hikes in the Pacific Northwest, threading through a narrow basalt canyon on a trail blasted out of cliff faces in the 1910s. The route passes cable-handrailed ledges with hundreds of feet of drop, Metlako Falls, Punch Bowl Falls, and a dozen smaller cascades before ending at Tunnel Falls, where the path corkscrews through the rock behind a 175-foot waterfall.

The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire charred most of the corridor, and recovery has been slow but steady — with the trail largely reopened by the mid-2020s. December 2025 winter storms knocked it out again. **As of the most recent notice, the trail is closed until further notice due to winter storm damage.** Always check closures before driving out.

When open, the grade is mostly flat for miles, with climbing only in the upper canyon. The real hazards are the exposed cable sections — wet basalt is slick, and children have died from falls. Treat the cables like a ladder, not a railing, and stay focused.