On the way out from Portland we took a detour to the Columbia River Gorge to explore one of the classic Pacific Northwest trails at Eagle Creek. Since we were a bit short on time, we decided to hike only 4.2 miles (out and back) on a route to Punchbowl Falls.

The first half-mile of the trail was shrouded in a young deciduous forest with trees covered in beautiful hanging moss. During this fall day, the sun filtered through the moss and turning leaves and cast a beautiful glow of orange, pink and olive onto the trail.

The trail quickly ascended and emptied out onto a ridge blasted into the mountainside overlooking a beautiful valley and the creek 100 feet below. Fog hung low in the valley as mist rose up from waterfalls below. Small droplets rained from the cliff faces and provided a bit of refreshment on this crisp but sunny day.

As the hike continued, we passed the beautiful Metlako Falls, which appeared to shoot straight out of the cliffside into the creek below. Beyond the falls, each twist and turn revealed lush greenery including oaks, maples, moss-covered rocks and ferns. Eventually we reached the overlook of the Punchbowl Falls, so named as the water carved a deep, circular basin resembling a punch bowl at the base of the falls.

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