Surrounded by a basalt rock amphitheater, the 74-foot waterfall is the icing on the cake after a relatively easy ramble that begins at Bridge of the Gods Trailhead in Cascade Locks (also the bridge where Portland author Cheryl Strayed ends her journey in Wild ). You can still see the ruins from the diversion system at the base of the falls. Once used as a municipal water source for the town of Cascade Locks, the falls and creek did at one point run dry after being diverted into pipes. Fee: Northwest Forest Pass required to park at Bridge of the Gods Trailhead ($5/day)ĭespite its name, Dry Creek Falls flows all year long.There are also backpacking loops that connect to the trail with a number of campsites however, those tend to fill up quickly in summer. So, unless you plan to get there super early (and preferably on a weekday) consider spending the night at Eagle Creek Campground (you can book at, and yes, there are still spots available to reserve this summer during the week) which is just a 15-minute walk from the trailhead, meaning you can get a very early start without the 6 a.m., barely caffeinated drive from Portland. From here you can either turn back to the trailhead or continue on another four miles to Tunnel Falls (which you can walk behind).īonus tip: Eagle Creek tends to get very crowded in the summer, especially on weekends. ![]() Soon enough you’ll come to the junction for the Lower Punch Bowl Trail and make a right, which drops you down by the creek-what was once an easy walk along the creek bed now requires scrambling over rocks (the result of a 2018 landslide) if you want to view Punch Bowl Falls from the creek. The out and back hike to Punch Bowl Falls is just a little over four miles, with a couple of other waterfalls to view from a distance along the way: the 100-foot Sorenson Falls, which is now visible due to many of the surrounding trees being consumed by the 2017 wildfire, and the 82-foot Metlako Falls. (Cable lines have been installed along the cliff edge to assist you.) Just the fact that this trail exists is a miracle itself: the construction project that launched in 1915 involved workers blasting the sides of cliff edges with dynamite to create a trail. The narrow trail skirts along a basalt canyon overlooking Eagle Creek, and if you’re bringing along children or dogs be prepared to carry them, as it’s a very steep drop. But the trail is now officially open, in case you haven’t heard, and just so happens to have one of the best waterfalls and swimming holes in the gorge. The last year or so has been tough for hikers longing to once again trek the Eagle Creek trail-the trail briefly reopened in January 2021 after a lengthy closure due to the 2017 fire, when more than 150 hikers had to be rescued and nearly 49,000 acres burned-only to close twice more (once again in 2022) due to landslides. Fee: Northwest Forest Pass required ($5 /day).(Note that some still require a parking permit or fee, but not the kind that is timed or limited in number.) ![]() Here are some waterfall trails you can go to for a leisurely summer stroll that don’t require a timed-use permit. Permits aren’t hard to get, but if they’re all claimed or you don’t want to bother with one (or pay the “free” permit’s $2 reservation fee), there’s plenty to see beyond this well-worn corridor. This includes some of the area’s hottest haunts: Multnomah Falls, Horsetail Falls, and Wahkeena Falls. The new program from the US Forest Service and local and state agencies was put in place to ease traffic congestion along the area’s most visited attractions, and from May 24 through September 5, you need a permit to drive to trailheads for hiking spots between Interstate 84 exits 28 (Bridal Veil) and 35 (Ainsworth) between 9 a.m. But with the new timed-use permits now required for driving to sites along the Gorge’s ever-so-scenic waterfall corridor and Multnomah Falls during summer, you’ll have to do some planning depending on where you want to go. ![]() ![]() A good waterfall hike isn’t hard to come by if you live in Portland, what with the Columbia River Gorge practically at our doorstep.
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