Eagle Creek Trail | Oregon

Distance:  12 miles round trip (20 km)

Avg.Time:  5 – 6 hours

Start / Finish:

• Eagle Creek Trailhead. About 45 minutes drive from Portland. Only two miles from the agreeable little town of Cascade Locks, situated on the Columbia River.

• See the Portland Hikers website for details on getting to and from the trailhead.

Season:  All-year-round

Maps / Info:

• Signage: The trail is well marked and easy to follow. See Oregon.com for a basic sketch map of the walk.

• GPS: See AllTrails for GPX data for the trail.

Route / Conditions:

• From the trailhead, simply follow the path along Eagle Creek until you reach Tunnel Falls. Then walk back again. It would be very difficult to get lost on this trail.

• Click here for a description of the route from PortlandHikers.org.

Sleeping:

• There are four designated campsites between the trailhead and Tunnel Falls. From all reports, they can be quite popular on holidays and weekends.

• If you are looking for a little more luxury, there are numerous overnight options in nearby Cascade Locks.

Overview:

• Gently graded trail, creekside camping, and a gorgeous series of cascades. Arguably the premier “waterfall” hike in the USA. Tunnel Falls itself is a classic. The passageway behind the falls was blasted out by trail builders in the early 1900s and hikers have been passing through ever since.

• I did this walk as an alternate route during my Pacific Crest Trail hikes in 2007 and 2012.