Eagle Creek, Post-Fire

Back in September 2017, I watched helplessly as a monster wildfire consumed the Oregon side of my beloved Columbia River Gorge.  The fire, ignited by a teenager playing with fireworks, started on the Eagle Creek Trail, my most favorite trail in the Gorge (and possibly of all time).

(You can read more about the wildfire in this Wikipedia link.)

The trailhead is still the same!

Three months later, winter rains finally doused the fire, but a large portion of the Gorge's forests had been torched.   Most of the burn area remained off-limits for a year.  Slowly, hiking trails and roads reopened.  But the Eagle Creek Trail, where it had all started, sustained the most damage and remained closed for 3 1/2 years.  It opened briefly in January 2021, only to be shuttered 2 weeks later due to landslides brought on by a strong winter storm.  The trail remained closed until mid-July 2021, when it was finally cleared of debris and deemed safe for hikers.

The damage quickly becomes apparent at the first bridge

Of course, once word got out among the hiking community the Eagle Creek Trail was heavily trafficked.  Although I too was anxious to revisit the trail and see the fire damage for myself, I decided to wait for a rainy midweek day in November, when I knew there'd be far less people.

Scorched hillside

The other reason for waiting until November - fall color!  From past experience I knew that the Gorge usually reached peak autumn hues in early November.  After four long years, I suspected enough vegetation had since regrown in the Eagle Creek area to produce changing leaves once again.

Eagle Creek

So in early November, I picked a Tuesday that, although cloudy, wasn't too rainy and invited my friend Debbie to join me.

Debbie walks through a carpet of leaves

Hoping to score an up-close spot, we were delighted to find only a half dozen vehicles in the parking area.  After the necessary pre-hike potty break, and changing into boots and jackets, Debbie and I were off!

Bigleaf maple leaves

The trailhead itself looked the same, but mere steps beyond that the fire damage became brutally apparent.  At the first bridge beside Eagle Creek, we gaped at the hillsides that were covered with charred tree trunks.  Thankfully, some yellow-leaved bushes had grown amongst the blackened trees adding a dash of color to an otherwise bleak scene.

Colorful corridor

Speaking of fall color, it was definitely peaking!  Debbie and I passed through a spot on the trail surrounded by Bigleaf maples and other assorted colorful bushes.  Golden leaves carpeted our trail.  It almost felt as if we were walking through a big, yellow tunnel.

Small cascade trickles down a cliff face

After an extremely dry spring and summer, this fall season seemed to be making up for lost precip.  We'd had quite a few rainy days in late October and, as a result, waterfalls were gushing from everywhere.  We passed by one tiny cascade dripping above the trail, trickling down the side of an adjacent basalt cliff.

The trail was blasted into the cliff face

One thing about this trail that I was happy to see hadn't changed - the narrow ledges blasted into the cliff face.  These walkways seemed to have survived the firestorm and subsequent landslides in fine shape.

I was happy to see that this unique trail segment had survived the fire

Constructed in the 1910s, these narrow trails were considered an engineering marvel.  In areas with high exposure, cable handrails were added, providing a little security to hikers afraid of heights.  Despite the inferno passing through here, I was happy to discover the cables still in place and in apparent good shape.

Looking deep into the canyon

By now we'd climbed high above Eagle Creek, it's waters a blue ribbon far, far below.  The canyon narrowed, giving glimpses to partially forested areas ahead.  The fire here burned in a "mosaic" pattern, sparing some trees while completely incinerating others.  It was good to see a little bit of green amidst so many bare black and gray trunks.

Another mossy cliff

Debbie and I passed by another cliffy area, the rock faces covered with ferns and green moss.  The forest opened up to showcase some nice views of the canyon.

Colorful bushes brighten an otherwise bleak burn area

At about 2 miles in, we passed the side trail down to the base of Punchbowl Falls.  Pre-fire, this trail had taken hikers to a pleasant creekside area with a lovely rocky bank boasting great views of the falls.  But I had heard that the fire had denuded the adjacent canyon slopes so badly there was no longer anything holding the soil in place.  Winter rains caused massive landslides, raining large boulders into the canyon and wiping out the nice beach area.  Access to the base of Punchbowl Falls was now very difficult.

Punchbowl falls

Knowing there was nothing to see down below, Debbie and I skipped the side path to Punchbowl Falls. A bit further down the trail was another viewpoint where hikers could see the cascade from above.  This would have to do for now.  I'd hoped the fire had cleared the vegetation from the upper viewpoint, as pre-fire it was beginning to get overgrown.  But four years of regrowth had started to obscure the falls once again.  Blackened trees directly above the splash pool showed how close the flames had gotten to the waterfall.

Beyond Punch Bowl Falls, there was much devastation 

Beyond Punchbowl Falls, the devastation encompassed more of the forest.  Large swaths of ghostly gray trees covered an adjacent slope.  No mosaic burn here, the entire hillside had been consumed by the flames.

Gray, ghostly trees

However, the blackened trunks and gray branches made interesting patterns to photograph.

This silver tree was photogenic

It was sobering, but also fascinating to see the scale of destruction.

Small creek trickles through the burn zone

A small creek tumbled down one side of the ghostly forest.   The creek's banks were lined with green vegetation, which made it stand out from the stark surroundings.

More waterway scenes

Debbie and I continued another mile and a half further from Punchbowl Falls, catching occasional glimpses of Eagle Creek.

The famous cable handrails appear to have survived!

Past more cliff areas with cable handrails.

Another view of the rapids

We traversed two side creeks, one a simple rock-hop, the other requiring a bit more skill to cross (although I just waded through, since my boots were waterproof).  The trail was clear of downed trees until just after we made our second creek crossing.  There on the other side, a large tree had fallen directly into our path forcing Debbie and I to duck and scramble over several branches.  Although it took a bit of time, we were able to successfully navigate this obstacle.

Despite all the charred trees, the scenery was still fantastic

The trail came out of the forest to another clifftop clearing.  There, gushing from the opposite bank was a lovely waterfall.  Named Loowit Falls, this two-tiered beauty was flowing mightily.

Loowit Falls

Very steep dropoffs near Loowit Falls

Past Loowit Falls, the trail again narrowed against a rocky cliff.  Traversing by, I hugged the cliff wall as close as possible - it was a long ways down to the creek.

Debbie approaching High Bridge

Up ahead we could see a deep slot-like gorge.  Our trail crossed this gorge via a bridge appropriately named as "High Bridge."

Crossing High Bridge

Upon High Bridge, one could see Eagle Creek, very far below.  One could also look up the narrow walls on one side that formed the deep gorge.  To the other side of the bridge was a sad sight.  The forest here had been totally burned.  Blackened trunks were all that was left of a once beautiful area. 

The woods above High Bridge were pretty well torched

Although the Eagle Creek Trail continued another 2.7 miles from here to spectacular Tunnel Falls, Debbie and I agreed High Bridge was as far as we'd go for today.  It would make a very respectable 8 mile trek.  I'd save Tunnel Falls for another day.

Heading back through the green cliff section

So Debbie and I retraced our steps back past Loowit Falls and the green cliff section.  Since I'd taken copious photos all morning, I didn't feel the need for many photo breaks on the way back, and our return trip was much faster.

Eagle Creek, far below the trail

This image shows how far the trail got above Eagle Creek.  It's a long ways to the water!

Debbie taking in the lovely fall colors

At the final cliff section, the fall colors were especially vibrant and plentiful.  Debbie and I took a short break to admire the beauty.

Lots of bright yellows and oranges!

The trees down below practically exploded in yellows and oranges.  A fine way to end our exploration of this wonderful trail.  Despite the fire damage, the Eagle Creek Trail was still amazing as ever.

Back through the last cliff section

After being closed for so long, it was wonderful to finally hike my favorite trail again post-2017 fire.  It was like revisiting an old friend!  A huge thanks to the Forest Service and all the volunteers who labored for years repairing the Eagle Creek Trail from fire and landslide damage, getting it reopened to the public once again.