This time it was my daughter inviting her friend and Dad along. We set out Thursday morning and stashed a car at the Eagle Creek TH. We probably could have parked in close but opted to park out by the camp host for a little added peace of mind. From there it was on to Hood River for a huge breakfast at Egg River Cafe. Yum. Yum.
We got to the TH at about noon ready to tackle the 7 miles to our camp site. I was looking forward to an all downhill hike after some of our recent adventures.
All ready to go...
After working our way down the 200 or steps of Wahtum Express, the trail is a very nicely graded walk through the forest. For the first 4 miles the tread is mostly soft and wide.
Lunch break...
The next couple of miles before getting to Eagle Creek itself has some really pretty small waterfalls.
This is one of my favorites...
We camped at my favorite spot just above 7 1/2 mile camp. There are several really nice spots but this one is right next to a 10 feet waterfall and has some deep pools which makes for some fun fly fishing...
The girls were pretty tired so they fell asleep pretty fast after the sun went down. We spent a lazy morning and finally broke camp at 11. There was a lot of the creek to explore and more fishing to do...
From here down to the TH, the hike really amps it up in beauty - one waterfall after another plus hiking on the trails carved out of the side of cliffs.
Tunnel Falls is one of the highlights - this has to be on the must-do list for everyone.
Lunch by Low Bridge.
Last but not least - Punchbowl Falls.
Burgers and Fries at the little burger place in Cascade Locks and pie at Shari's topped the trip off. I've done this trip 6 or 7 times now and still love seeing these waterfalls and the lush green-ness (is that a word?) throughout the Eagle Creek drainage. This is a well-loved area with a lot of traffic but well worth the time...
