Tunnel Falls

Tunnel Falls is accessed from the Eagle Creek Trail near the Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River Gorge. Depart Interstate 84 at Eagle Creek (signed, but only accessible to eastbound traffic - westbounders need to turn around at the Bonneville Dam exit), turn left and proceed to the trailhead. Tunnel is passed approximately 6 miles from the trailhead and is impossible to miss. Don't stop here either, keep going the additional 1/4 mile to Twister Falls.Tunnel Falls is one of the premier destinations along Oregon's famous Eagle Creek Trail. The falls plunge a nearly sheer 172 feet into a large bowl-like amphitheater sculpted out of a contorted protrusion of columnar basalt, with the Eagle Creek Trail swinging around the cove in a nearly 180-degree arc to provide ample views of the falls from nearly every conceivable angle. The trail itself is almost as much of an attraction as the falls are - the construction methods of which were directly responsible for the name of the falls. The path rises to a ledge about halfway up the cliff producing the falls, and was thence blasted right into the side of the cliff and a tunnel carved behind the falls to allow the trail to bypass the creek without the need of an expensive bridge. Naturally such a distinctive feature isn't without hazards; there is little to protect one from falling a sheer 80 feet save for a small cable bolted to the side of the cliff. It should go without saying that one should be cautious when visiting Tunnel Falls. The East Fork of Eagle Creek is far and away the largest tributary to Eagle Creek. Draining an area of about 5.5 square miles, and heading in Wahtum Lake the East Fork will have ample flow all year long to ensure that Tunnel Falls will appear respectable no matter when it's visited. The flow remains surprisingly consistent in fact, which suggests that there may be several springs feeding into the basin.Tunnel Falls was named, quite obviously, for the tunnel blasted behind the falls so the Eagle Creek Trail could pass through the otherwise insurmountable canyon. When the trail was constructed or by whom the falls were named, I don't know.