Hiking Eagle Creek, From First to Last Waterfall - No Talk, No Music, Just Nature. - 4K Virtual Hike

A virtual walk & hike on Oregon's Eagle Creek Trail to Tunnel Falls, with no talk, no music, no close-up shots of my ugly mug... just nature & relaxation. The full journey in real-time, 4K video.

In the heart of the Columbia River Gorge - a swath of the lush Cascade Range cut in two by Ice Age floods (and a fave weekend getaway for Portlanders) - crystal-clear Eagle Creek rushes down the rainforest-like slopes, carving its own stunning gorge along the way. (A gorge within a gorge, if you will. Gorge-ception!). Truly one of the iconic walks of the PNW.

An astoundingly-built trail traces the creek's many twists, turns, and drops, often on cliffs high above where the path is blasted straight from rock, with narrow tread, steep drops, and a chain handhold to keep you steady. It's all worth it, because the hike also features stately forest, wildflowers, countless waterfalls, and lots and lots of water.

Eagle Creek is also famous as ground zero for an infamous wildfire in 2017 - the area is still recovering, which means many acres of burned trees but also slightly improved views all around.

Our outing goes far beyond where most hikers turn around, past impressive Punchbowl Falls (unfortunately high water prevents a side-trip down for a closer look, but the viewpoint from above is great), High Bridge, roaring Tunnel Falls (which yes, does feature a tunnel), distinctive Twister Falls, before ending at little-visited Sevenmile Falls - the last major cascade on the trail. Enjoy!

Highlights:
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - The Hike Begins
20:45 - Weeping Wall
25:45 - First Narrow Scary Section
32:45 - More Views & Another Narrow Section
48:00 - Gorge Views & Far-off Metlako Falls
1:00:00 - Crossing Sorenson Creek
1:08:40 - Punchbowl Falls & First Bridge
1:27:45 - Second Bridge
1:41:00 - More Narrow Trail
1:48:35 - Gazing Into the Gorge
1:52:00 - Loowit Falls
1:56:00 - The Narrows & High Bridge (aka Eagle Eye Bridge)
2:08:30 - distant Skoonichuck Falls
2:20:00 - Fourth Bridge (aka Moss Fortress Bridge)
2:42:15 - hidden Wy'East Falls + (awkward) Stream Crossing
2:46:37 - Mossy Walls
3:00:58 - Cliff Traverse Over Rapids
3:06:38 - Grand Union Falls
3:10:18 - Tunnel Falls
3:21:25 - Scary Walk to Twister Falls (aka Cross Over Falls)
3:29:36 - Dripping Moss & the Last Narrows
3:34:30 - Sevenmile Falls
3:38:44 - Outro & Ratings

Trip Stats:
* Distance: 13.0 mi / 20.9 km round-trip
* Elevation Gain: 1300 ft / 396 m
* Trailhead GPS: 45.6368, -121.9196
* Restrictions: NW Forest Pass required; no bikes or stock; leashed dogs allowed
* Camping Available: Yes (usually crowded), designated sites

Filmed March 2022. Re-uploaded due to a missing section of video :[ Still ironing out the camera setup, as well as the format/structure for future videos - please feel free to comment on the good, the bad, or the ugly. This is an on-going learning experience! My hope is that every video improves on the last.