Picnic area · Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
A historic picnic site where salmon return to the creek each fall.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Eagle Creek Trailhead“You're approaching the access road for Eagle Creek's day-use area and trailhead; the waterfalls are farther in on foot.”
Plays as you drive up to Eagle Creek Day Use Area in the Parkwolf Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Eagle Creek Day Use Area is an accessible picnic area at the mouth of Eagle Creek canyon, within the same recreation complex as the creek’s trailheads. Picnic tables sit near the lower lot and south of the Big John parking area. On the hillside, the historic Community Kitchen Pavilion makes the site more than a place to park and walk; stone ovens and an old trail register are farther along the road to the trailhead.
This was the Forest Service’s first developed campground. Some facilities were rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, and firefighters saved the historic structures during the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. In fall, look for Chinook and coho salmon spawning in the creek. The Forest Service asks visitors to stay out of the water during spawning season.
Wildlife
267 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
51 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
136 sightingsAmerican PikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
16 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
195 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
74 sightingsChinook SalmonMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Columbia River Gorge. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateBuck Point Trail1.1 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.2 mi awaySteep steps lead to a Gorge river view beneath the powerlines.
ChallengingEagle Creek Trail #440 to Tunnel Falls11.7 mi · 7 hr · 0.4 mi awayFollow Eagle Creek past cliffside falls to a tunnel behind the water.
ModerateEagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls3.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA narrow, cabled path above Eagle Creek leads to the falls.
ModerateEagle Creek to High Bridge6.6 mi · 4 hr · 0.4 mi awayCabled cliff passages lead to waterfalls and a bridge over the gorge.
ChallengingEagle Creek Trail #440 to Wahtum Lake25.5 mi · 15 hr · 0.4 mi awayFollow Eagle Creek’s cliffside trail to a high-country lake.
ChallengingRuckel Creek Trail #4055.8 mi · 5.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steep creek climb reaches spring meadows and the Benson Plateau.
ModerateGillette Lake5.3 mi · 3 hr · 0.8 mi awayA forest climb to blue-green water and landslide ponds.
ChallengingTable Mountain from Bonneville Trailhead15.5 mi · 11 hr · 0.8 mi awayA hard climb to sheer cliffs above the Columbia Gorge.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayEagle Creek CampgroundA shady 1916 campground at the foot of the Eagle Creek Trail.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayEagle Creek Overlook Group CampgroundA CCC-built group campground with a bluff view of Bonneville Dam.
Visitor center · 0.8 mi awayWashington Shore Visitor CenterA fish ladder window and an 85-foot view into a powerhouse.
Visitor center · 0.8 mi awayBradford Island Visitor CenterFish ladder viewing and hydropower history under one roof.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayBonneville Fish HatcherySee Herman through an underwater viewing window.
Sight · 2 mi awayWahclella FallsA short canyon walk ends at a two-tiered plunge pool.
Sight · 2 mi awayBridge of the GodsA steel crossing shared by drivers and Pacific Crest Trail hikers.
Sight · 2 mi awayPunch Bowl FallsA round rock amphitheater frames the waterfall and deep pool.Parkwolf’s Columbia River Gorge ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
