Vicki and I backpacked on Oregon’s famous Eagle Creek Trail and visited Tunnel Falls. We decided that this was a great way to start our series of Summer hikes. While it’s true that we are PCT-lovers, this trail is considered an “alternate” trail leading from the Mount Hood Area to the Columbia River near Cascade Locks and the Bridge of the Gods. Since we are also self-admitted Waterfall Addicts, this trail was on the Absolutely Must-Do List. There were at least nine named waterfalls on this trail, all within eight miles of the trailhead. It doesn’t get much better than that!
We spent the previous night in the nearby Eagle Creek Campground, so we could start hiking extra-early. Vicki is very slow when hiking uphill, and she does better in the cool of the morning. We drove down to the trailhead parking lot and I dropped off the backpacks, plus Vicki. I wasn’t sure about the overnight parking situation, so I booked the campsite for a second night, then drove the car back and left it there. It turns out that I didn’t have to, as long as I had my trusty Northwest Forest Pass. Oh well. Then I walked a mile or so back to the trailhead.
I really had no idea what to expect on this trail, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was created by blasting it out of the side of a cliff for much of the way! We hiked along, far above the creek, on a narrow trail, festooned with steel cables to hold onto. Now this was fun! I would’ve come to this trail just for the cables, let alone the waterfalls.
After the first cliffside walk, we met a couple of waterfalls. Ahh, this is what we came here for! Some of the falls were across the way in side-creeks, but others were on Eagle Creek itself. This canyon really lent itself to waterfalls, as the rock was volcanic in nature, and eroded relatively rapidly, leaving tall cliffs on each side, which was perfect for waterfalls. We stopped whenever we felt like it. I took a lot more photos and videos than I’m showing here! All in all, we liked Punch Bowl Falls the most, of the early waterfalls. It was way down in a bowl, of course. We thought about hiking down there on the side trail, but decided in the end to keep hiking while it was still cool.
The morning went on. Vicki is a notoriously slow hiker, and a few early dayhikers passed on by. That was fine by us. We stopped and rested whenever we felt like it. If we had to dayhike all the way to Tunnel Falls and return in one day, we would have hustled more. But we didn’t, so we didn’t. We crossed a bridge over Fern Creek and took breaks here and there. We were saddened by all the dead pines on the slopes high above us, which burned back in 2017. Some trees down here died also, and the trail was hotter without their shade. Sad but true.
We came upon Loowit Falls, which was across the way, cascading down from a side creek to the west. It was pretty, but it would have been better had the pines not burned.
At the three mile mark, we came upon High Bridge. This was where the trail crossed over a deep narrow gorge above Eagle Creek. It was fun to look down below at the water flowing past. After this bridge, we were allowed to set up camp. Provided we could find a spot, of course.
At that point, we were hiking in the sun, and it was hot under the bare burned trunks. Somewhere along here my map said that there was a campsite. It was marked on my CalTopo app. Using the GPS, we looked all over where it was supposed to be, but all we found was dense brush and fallen tree trunks. Looks like the lack of shade increased the undergrowth, and the campsite was inundated. Oh well. There were other campsites, so we hiked onward. We passed Skoonichuk Falls, and then the trail finally neared the creek after remaining high up for so long. We scrambled our way down to the water and Vicki wet her hair and shirt. Ahh! Nice and cool again.
There was yet another footbridge across the main creek, somewhere near Tenas Falls, which we never managed to view. Even though we were on the shady east side, it was now late enough that the sun was hitting us anyway. Vicki began to overheat, as the trail continued to climb relentlessly.
Vicki spied a clearing down below the trail, an obviously well-used campsite. And it wasn’t on my official map! Oh well. We hiked down the access trail. Did Vicki want to camp there? Of course she did. And maybe take a nap, as well. I checked our progress, we’d hiked about four miles out of six (to Tunnel Falls) and that was good enough for me. If we set up camp here we could leave our heavy gear behind and “slackpack” the next two miles to the falls. This became our new plan. I set up the tent, we ate some lunch, and Vicki took a short nap on an air mattress inside the tent. Life was good again, and we had a temporary home in the wilderness.
Vicki was feeling better after her nap, so on we hiked. Only two miles to go! We walked along a mellow trail, much of which was unburnt. Like many wildfires, it left a patchwork of live trees behind. We came upon Wy’East Falls, above us to the east, then continued along the trail. It was a beautiful day.
As we neared our goal, we saw Grand Union Falls down below us. It was directly on Eagle Creek. It wasn’t tall compared to all the others, but it certainly produced a fine roaring sound. After we passed it, I told Vicki that we were nearing Tunnel Falls, so she should get ready.
We came around the corner and there it was: Tunnel Falls, plunging down a side creek into the Eagle Creek valley. We paused to take some photos and videos, and I pointed the trail out to Vicki, where it went right along the cliff, and disappeared behind the curtain of water. I was quite excited; I’d seen many videos of this waterfall posted online by PCT hikers, and I couldn’t wait to experience it. I’d like to say that I was sorry to leave Vicki behind me in the dust, but that wouldn’t be strictly true. I wasn’t thinking about her at all! And I experienced the waterfall in all its glory. Vicki took a photo of me on the far side, which was nice. I’d also be lying if I said that this fast hiking was all a part of my evil plan, just to get that photo.
Video as I walked through the tunnel of Tunnel Falls
Tunnel Falls was also a prime spot for Instagram Girls and TikTok hotties to show off their awesomeness on Social Media, and we met a trio of them on the far side. I hope an old geezer who looked a lot like me didn’t ruin any of their shots. But I didn’t care about them. Instead, I took photos and videos of Vicki as she came through. She’s my Waterfall Hottie.
Once she caught up to me, wee took yet more photos and videos, plus a double-selfie to send back home later on, tomorrow, when we got cell signal.
We heard from another hiker on our way up that there was yet another waterfall just beyond Tunnel Falls, called Twister Falls, and it supposedly had a flat spot that was perfect for taking a break. Taking one right there, along the side of a cliff, wasn’t exactly restful. So on we hiked, and it was an easy quarter mile of walking. It was worth it, too, as we got to check out yet another waterfall.
Twister Falls was worth the extra distance. Vicki took off her shoes and soaked her feet in the cool water. I read my kindle for a awhile with the sound of the falls in the background. We both ate a bit of snack. Vicki didn’t seem to need a nap this time, which was great.
After that, we put our shoes back on, donned our packs, and headed back toward Tunnel Falls. This time we were all alone, as most of the dayhikers had already come and gone. Once again, I took way too many photos and videos. It was fun, and I went back and forth through the tunnel more than once. What a great waterfall. This trail was blasted out over a century ago, and I doubted that the current forest service authorities would allow its construction in the present day “environmental review” regulatory climate. They prefer to say “No” to almost everything. As a waterfall addict, I wish they’d say yes to even more behind-the-waterfall trial tunneling! If only they could raise the money to do it…
After that, it was a relatively easy and fast hike back to camp. Downhill hiking, especially on a cruisey trail, is simply so satisfying. You just fly right along, rarely break a sweat, and never need to stop for a rest. Vicki likes this, too. Within an hour, we were back in camp. I filtered some water, enough to eat our meals and get us back to the car tomorrow morning, while Vicki cooled off her feet in the creek yet again.
Vicki cooked up some dinner and we ate it near the creek. It was a peaceful scene. Since we were deep in a gorge, the sun set early, and we headed into the tent. We fell asleep listening to the creek softly burbling nearby. A pleasant night.
The next morning we woke up early, as usual. But not too early. We ate breakfast and put away all our gear, just like we always do. Everything was working perfectly. We’ve done this before. Soon, we had our backpacks on and climbed back up to the main trail. It was time to head back to the trailhead.
I’ll only show a few of the highlights of our downhill hike, as I already showed too many on the way up the trail. We crossed the bridges and enjoyed the waterfalls exactly as much as before, even if it doesn’t look that way.
There was even a small chance of rain in the forecast, and it proved to be correct. It was more like a marine layer drizzle than a full-on rain event, but we started getting wet so we got out our pack covers and rain jackets. They didn’t stay on for long. Soon enough, the sun burned through the clouds and the drizzle ceased.
We saw some early morning dayhikers down in the bowl of Punch Bowl Falls. One of them was swimming, and they really hooted loudly when they first hit that cold water. It looked like fun, but Vicki didn’t want to climb back up again, so we passed it by. We kept on hiking, lightly holding onto the steel cables when it felt particularly sketchy on the now-wet trail.
We put down our heavy packs at the trailhead, and Vicki took a break on a wooden bench. It was her duty to watch the backpacks while I headed back to the campground and my car.
I drove back down to get Vicki, and we tossed the packs in the back. Then it was off to the town of Cascade Locks. I already made a reservation at a motel in town.
We needed to do laundry, take showers, and do all the usual parts of life that aren’t as exciting as hiking up a fun trail along steep cliffs to a waterfall that you can walk behind through a tunnel. But at least our dinner tasted fine, and we had more plans ahead of us. Washington awaited, after all. This was just the beginning!
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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