3 min
Overview
A short nature loop begins across the hiker bridge over Eagle Creek, taking you through an old-growth Douglas-fir grove that was scorched during the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire but with many of the old trees remaining. As a bonus, in mid-fall you can walk above redds of spawning salmon that migrate in their hundreds up the creek. A good way to access the loop is via the historic day use area, once the Forest Service’s very first campground, constructed in 1916. Whether you need to enter or not, visit the historic restroom, affectionately known as Big John. The building was constructed in 1916 and marks the time when the Forest Service went upscale and provided their first public flush toilet. Walk to the right of the restrooms, and wander down through the picnic area. Up the hill is the Community Kitchen Pavilion and you can still find some old drinking fountains and stone ovens. All of this infrastructure, including the Eagle Creek Trail itself, came about due to the construction of the Historic Columbia River Highway. When you reach the road (Eagle Creek Lane) leading to the Eagle Creek Trailhead, head for the bridge spanning the creek. Cross the Eagle Creek Bridge and get views up and down the creek, here a wide stream with willow bar islands just above its confluence with the Columbia River. This is the fourth bridge in this location, the previous structure, a suspension bridge, having suffered a snapped cable during the 2017 fire. Look for dippers diving below the surface. At the west end of the bridge, turn left on the Shady Glen Trail and follow it close to the creek bank, where you can spot Chinook and coho salmon in the fall. You’ll pass a disused fountain and the mossy remains of a bench burned in the 2017 fire. The trail curves sharply to the right at a small beach in a salmonberry thicket. The rising trail bed becomes a running stream when it rains. Big-leaf maples here were torched by the fire, but they are sending up shoots from their lignotubers. Most of the big Douglas-firs remain although a couple
Trail Stats
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16 m
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Photos
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400px-ShadyGlenMap
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250px-Old_fountain_and_bench%2C_Shady_Glen_Trail
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250px-Historic_restroom_Big_John%2C_Eagle_Creek_Day_Use_Area
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