3.7 hr
Overview
This is a popular multi-day backpack trip, often done as a two-day, one-night excursion on summer weekends, thus inducing high competition for limited camp space. You will be hiking up the scenic and crowded Eagle Creek Trail, ascending steeply to Wahtum Lake. As of 2021, your only option for a return loop is to use the Pacific Crest Trail and then the Gorge Trail (almost 17 miles one way; 30 miles for the loop), with a former choice (the Ruckel Creek Trail) closed since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. The PCT loop option will probably involve an overnight camp on the Benson Plateau. More rugged loop options used to include the Eagle-Benson Trail or the Ruckel Ridge Trail, but these have no longer been viable since the 2017 conflagration. The current recommendation is to return the way you came on Eagle Creek and enjoy the spectacular waterfalls and gorge scenery from a different angle. A leisurely approach may involve a night at Seven and a Half Mile Camp and two nights at Wahtum Lake, allowing a full day to day hike in the area. Return all the way down the Eagle Creek Trail on your last day. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire burned hot in this section of the gorge, so you will be constantly reminded of that conflagration until you pass the junction with the Indian Springs Trail. In addition, two bridges, the Fern Creek Bridge and the High Bridge, had to be replaced because of fire damage. However, as you enter the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness beyond Wy'East Camp, you'll encounter larger stands of intact canopy where the fire was less intense. The PCTA (Pacific Crest Trail Association) has done a magnificent job in restoring the trail, and the tread is in excellent shape. Bear in mind that it is only above the High Bridge that overnight camping is permitted on the Eagle Creek Trail; in addition, many of the original campsites have disappeared under heavy brush or downed trees, so availability is more limited. For an overnight backpack, it's recommended that you park at the Eagle Creek Day Use Trailhead, next to the fish
Trail Stats
0.0 km
1100 m
1135 m
0 m
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Photos
600px-EagleCreekWahtumLakeMap
600px-EagleCreekWahtumLakeMap
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160px-Small_waterfall%2C_East_Fork_Eagle_Creek
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250px-Ripe_trailing_blackberry%2C_Eagle_Creek_Trail
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250px-Sevenmile_Falls%2C_Eagle_Creek_Trail
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250px-EagleCreekGorge01
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250px-VertigoMile02
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250px-TunnelFallsSideView
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250px-Side_view_of_the_High_Bridge%2C_Eagle_Creek_Trail
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250px-Punch_Bowl_Falls%2C_Eagle_Creek_Trail
400px-WahtumNearJunction
400px-WahtumNearJunction