ONEONTA
We
stopped in Hood River, Oregon for groceries and then headed down into the
Columbia River Gorge. It was already
mid-afternoon, so I decided to do a short hike before we drove to Lost Lake to
camp. My choice was Lower Oneonta Falls,
as it had been on my to-do list for several years. It’s a short, off-trail to a
legendary waterfall on Oneonta Creek.
Getting to it requires a tricky scramble over a log jam and wading
through an icy slot canyon. Christy’s
ankle was still bothering her, so she decided to skip it. After she dropped me off she stopped at
Multnomah Falls and did the short, easy hike to Bridal Veil Falls.
I
was expecting a hardcore adventure, and I was surprised at how many people I
encountered. It was a Sunday afternoon
though, and apparently this hike was recently featured on a popular TV
show. From the road, a short stretch of
trail and a bit of rock hopping and wading brought me to the log jam. There were a couple of awkward spots, and the
logs were wet and slippery, but it really wasn’t particularly difficult. On the other hand, I was nervous watching the
tourists in flip flops trying to scramble through there. That is definitely not a place for a fall!
Once
through the log maze, the slot canyon stretched out ahead of me. It’s a beautiful spot, where Oneonta Creek
has carved a deep, narrow passage between sheer rock walls. This part of the hike was easy, shallow
wading until the upper end of the slot.
There, a deep pool presented a substantial obstacle. Even in July, the water is ice cold. It’s deep, too. I waded through holding my pack above my
head. The water was neck deep at one
point, but at least I didn’t have to swim.
Some people were determined to avoid the wading. I saw several attempting to traverse the
cliff above the pool. Two gave up after
their friend fell spectacularly into the pool.
Just
beyond the pool the canyon widened and Lower Oneonta Falls came into view. It’s a lovely, elegant waterfall, as the
creek drops 100’ into the grotto at the head of the slot canyon. The canyon walls are sheer and covered in
vibrant moss. Unfortunately, photography
was hopeless. Despite the difficulties
involved in getting here, there were dozens of people in the pool at the base
of the falls and scattered along the creek just downstream.
I
headed back out, returning to the trailhead about 2 hours after I started. However, Christy wasn’t there. She was stuck in a traffic jam on her way
back from Multnomah Falls. Welcome to a
Sunday afternoon in the Columbia River Gorge in July! It was a cool, cloudy, breezy day, and I was
soaked from wading through the slot canyon.
I didn’t have much in the way of extra clothes with me, and I quickly
got chilled waiting for Christy. I think
I was mildly hypothermic when Christy finally showed up.
We
drove back through the lovely town of Hood River, Oregon and headed on to the
Lost Lake Campground. I’d picked Lost
Lake for our basecamp for two reasons.
First, it was situated between Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge –
two places we planned to explore over the next few days. Also, Lost Lake is strategically situated on
the northwest side of Mount Hood. That
would make it the ideal place to catch alpenglow on Mount Hood at sunset.
Our
campsite was expensive ($30 / night) but beautiful. The campground is in old growth forest with
massive evergreen trees. The sites are
spaced widely apart, giving the campground something of a wilderness feel. It was a fantastic place to spend 3
nights. Unfortunately, it was cloudy
that first night, so we weren’t able to take advantage of sunset.
TAKE TWO
The
plan for Monday was a long hike up Eagle Creek.
It is a 13-mile round trip, but it includes 15 waterfalls! They aren’t just little cascades,
either. Several of them are over 100’ high.
First
though, I wanted to return to Lower Oneonta Falls for photos. It had been hopeless the previous day due to
the crowds. Christy dropped me off at
the trailhead. She decided to skip this
one again, as her ankle was still bothering her. I kept a faster pace this time. On the way up I encountered a group of teen
girls heading to the falls. They were
struggling a bit with the log jam, so I helped them with the route
finding. I also told them to leave some
warm clothes on the downstream side of the deep pool. That was a lesson I’d learned from my
flirtation with hypothermia the previous day.
In fact, this time I only wore shorts, t-shirt, sandals, and a warm hat
through the deep part of the slot canyon.
I left a warm jacket just downstream though, which kept me warm on the
hike back.
The
canyon was much less crowded on Monday morning.
I did pass a small group heading out, but made it to the falls far
enough ahead of the teen girls to get photos.
It was absolutely worth doing this hike twice in less than 24
hours. It is an incredible adventure,
and the falls are canyon are highly photogenic.
EAGLE
Christy
picked me up and we drove a few miles up the gorge to the Eagle Creek
Trailhead. It was mid-morning when we
arrived, and the main parking lot was already full. We parked down the road in an overflow
parking area. It was surprising to see
that many people hiking on a Monday!
By
my count, the Eagle Creek Trail passes 15 waterfalls – 8 on Eagle Creek
(Metlako, Lower Punchbowl, Punchbowl, High Bridge, Skoonichuk, Grand Union,
Twister, and Seven Mile) and 7 on tributaries (Wauna, Sorenson, Loowit, Four
Mile, Tenas, Wy’east and Tunnel). However,
Wauna, Sorenson, and Four Mile are difficult to see from the trail, and there
are many more drops farther upstream on tributaries. In fact, it is probably not an exaggeration
to say that every tributary of Eagle Creek has multiple waterfalls of its own. Seeing all of the waterfalls in the Eagle
Creek gorge would require many days of off-trail exploration.
We
followed the Eagle Creek trail up canyon.
For the most part, the trail stays well above the creek, which is
unfortunate. That means missing out on
some cool stuff, like Wauna Falls, which is largely hidden from view from the
trail. Along that stretch, the trail
traverses a cliff high above Eagle Creek, on the far side of the canyon from
Wauna Falls. A bit farther on, a side
trail leads to an overlook of Metlako Falls.
This beauty is probably close to 100’ high, but the view from the
overlook isn’t great. Sorenson Creek
Falls enters Eagle Creek here, too, but it is hidden from view. On a future trip, I’d like to scramble, wade,
rock hop and swim upstream ½ mile from where the trail begins climbing above
the creek. That adventure would provide
better views of Wauna Falls, Sorenson Falls, and Metlako Falls.
From
the Metlako Falls overlook we continued upstream to a confusing junction. It wasn’t clear at the time, but the Eagle
Creek Trail continues ahead here, while a spur trail leads down to the creek at
Lower Punchbowl Falls. The spur ends
just upstream near the base of Punchbowl Falls.
We went that way, which worked out since the Eagle Creek Trail stays
high above the falls. We arrived at
lunch time, and the area was busy with hikers.
Punchbowl Falls is a lovely 36’ drop into its namesake pool. That pool is surrounded by mossy cliffs, but
jumping from them is strictly prohibited due to the numerous deaths that have
occurred here. I had planned to swim in
the Punchbowl, but I changed my mind. It
was a cloudy, cool day, and it just wasn’t warm enough for swimming to be
appealing.
After
lunch we needed to get back to the Eagle Creek Trail. On my previous visit here years earlier I’d
been unaware of the side trail we’d followed to the base. I had followed the Eagle Creek Trail to a
cool viewpoint of the falls from the cliffs high above. From there I’d scrambled down a goat path to
reach the base. I recalled the descent
being steep, but not too bad. We decided
to go up that way to regain the trail, rather than backtracking. This was a huge mistake. The goat path is still there, but erosion has
made it slippery and unstable. Climbing
it started out difficult and rapidly became downright dangerous. Unfortunately, by the time we realized our
mistake, it seemed easier to continue up than to try to climb back down. That conclusion was debatable, but we
eventually struggled our way to the top without any mishaps. We were fortunate though, and every person
that goes this way contributes to the erosion and makes the route less safe. I strongly suggest avoiding this. The side path is much easier and it isn’t
terribly far out of the way.
At
the top of the cliff we stopped to check out a cool view of Punchbowl Falls and
the punchbowl from above. We also
noticed two hikers on a separate cliff immediately above the brink of the
falls. That looked like a really cool
spot that I’ll have to check out some time.
We
continued on the trail, which stays on the cliffs above Eagle Creek for a mile
and half. I’m really curious about what
is going on down in the creek along here.
I suspect there may be a slot canyon, or a series of slot canyons down
there. There is definitely a slot
canyon, the High Bridge Gorge, a bit farther upstream.
The
hiking here was pretty easy, although a bridge spanning a side stream was
recently taken out by a falling tree.
The side stream is an easy rock hop though, so the broken bridge was
easily passed. A bit farther on Loowit
Falls came into view. This is a 90’
beauty on a tributary, Loowit Creek, on the far side of the gorge. There was a group of hikers at the base of Loowit
Falls when we passed by. That looks like
an amazing place to explore! Eagle Creek
passes through an incredible slot canyon immediately upstream from Loowit
Falls. That slot canyon starts
immediately below the High Bridge. The
bridge spans the slot canyon, enabling the Eagle Creek Trail to continue up the
canyon on River Left. Just beyond the
bridge are two side trails. One heads
down canyon. Presumably it offers a
route to the base of Loowit Falls. On
the other side of the bridge, a bit upstream, is another path leading down to
the creek. There is a big rapid just
upstream from the High Bridge. Beyond,
the creek is placid. On a future hike I
want to bring a life jacket and float through that slot canyon. Doing so would require climbing down that
entrance rapid. I’m not sure about the
exit, either. High Bridge Falls is at
the end of the slot canyon, near the base of Loowit Falls. From the trail above it looks like it should
be possible to get out of the creek above the brink of that waterfall. This adventure will require some scouting,
but I think it can be done safely.
From
High Bridge we continued up canyon.
Before long we passed Skoonichuk Falls on Eagle Creek. This is a 48’ drop, but the view from the
trail is marginal. I bushwhacked part of
the way down to get a better angle for photos.
Next time I’d like to go all the way to the base to get a better
view. Since we were doing this full 13
mile hike in a single day, we couldn’t dedicate a lot of time at each feature
along the way. Next time, I hope I can
backpack in and camp in the gorge. That
would provide more time for exploration.
Farther
upstream we passed Four Mile Falls on a tributary. It is on the far side of the canyon though,
and it was barely visible through the trees.
Getting a better view requires wading the creek. A bit farther on we crossed Eagle Creek on
another bridge. Just beyond is Tenas
Falls, a 25’ drop on a tributary on the far side of Eagle Creek. We barely paused for this one, as we still
had a couple of miles to go, and Tunnel Falls and Twister Falls were
beckoning.
First
we passed a tributary near the Wy’East campsite. Just upstream is Wy’East Falls. A rugged spur path leads to the base of this
160’ drop. It is an impressive
waterfall, but the stream is small and it is best viewed at higher water
levels. I didn’t get good photos here,
as the sun actually made a brief appearance while I was at the base.
We
continued on, passing above Grand Union Falls, a 45’ drop where Eagle Creek and
the East Fork of Eagle Creek join. I
settled for a photo from above here, as I didn’t see a good way to reach the
base. From there we continued on to the
main prize of the day, Tunnel Falls.
Tunnel Falls is a 165’ drop on the East Fork. It is named for the tunnel that was blasted
out of the cliff behind the falls. This
tunnel was created for the trail itself.
Originally I thought maybe it had been for a logging railroad, but the
tunnel is far too small to allow a train to pass.
Tunnel
Falls is absolutely spectacular. There
are great views of it from either side of the tunnel (particularly the far
side) and from the base. My favorite
part of the experience is hiking through the tunnel itself. It is dark and wet, and only the thin wall of
the tunnel separates you from the waterfall.
The power of the creek causes the Earth to shake. If it wasn’t so wet, that would be an amazing
place to hang out.
Once
we reached the far side Christy decided to head back. Her ankle was really bothering her, and we
still had to hike 6 miles to return to the car.
I decided to give her a head start, as there are two more waterfalls
upstream. Twister Falls is a 130’ drop
on Eagle Creek. As you might guess from
the name, the creek twists as it drops.
As a result, there is no way to see the whole thing from a single
viewpoint. I explored around the top of
the falls in an attempt to get as many views as possible. I decided against going to the base, as the
route looked exposed and slippery. I’d
like to attempt that next time though, as the view from the base would be
completely different than the views I obtained.
10
minutes farther upstream is Seven Mile Falls.
This 50’ drop is the uppermost drop on Eagle Creek (to the best of my
knowledge). I took a quick photo before
starting back. I wanted to catch up with
Christy before she reached the car, but I also took some time to scramble down
to the base of Tunnel Falls. The view
from there is very different than from the trail. The descent is slippery and a little sketchy,
but not terribly dangerous if you are careful.
And yes, it is worth it!
I
hiked fast on the return, but I’d given Christy an hour head start with all of
the extra exploring. She beat me to the
car by a good 20 minutes. From there we
headed into the quaint town of Hood River, Oregon. It was almost dark, so we stopped at the Full
Sail Brewery for dinner and beverages.
It’s a really cool place, and it was a nice reward after an incredible
day of hiking!
Back to Oregon.
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