Lower Punchbowl Falls
Lower Punchbowl Falls
4.5
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4.5
18 reviews
Excellent
14
Very good
3
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1
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0
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0
tinaNtravel
San Jose, CA2,123 contributions
Aug 2015
Punchbowl Falls is near Eagle Creek campsite which is off the main Columbia River Historic Route. You won't see signs for Punchbowl Falls, which makes it a bit difficult to locate. So look for the Eagle Creek camp grounds, which is Exit 41 off of Highway 84. Enter the campgrounds and drive as far back as you can go. You will pass the first parking lot (which also has the only restroom facilities that we saw), a second parking lot and then all the way back, the final parking lot. The trail head starts here.
The walk is very, very pretty and it isn't very difficult. I'd label it easy to moderate. You are hiking up, but the grade seems to not be that steep. There are cliffs along the walk with a fairly narrow (single file) walk way. So this may not be the hike for small kids. There are cables against the mountain wall in all of these areas that you can have kids hold on to - or even yourself if you are nervous around heights. (We never needed to hold the cables, the path is wide enough to not be concerned, in general - but I don't think I would have brought a toddler on this hike, for example, without holding his/her hands firmly.)
Unfortunately, there are almost no trail markers on this hike, which was a bit frustrating. After a few miles on the hike, there is a fork in the road. If you continue on the main trail to the left, you continue going up the mountain. If you take the right fork, you will hike down (rather steep grade) to the waterfall. I highly recommend doing that, as the Punchbowl area is very, very pretty. Plenty of places for a picnic. You can wade in the knee deep water or swim out near the waterfall. (Of course, then you have the steep walk back up - but it was still very much worth visiting.)
If you take the left fork, you can continue up the mountain. We went as far as the 'High Bridge' which is 3.3 miles one way. I'd say it was worth seeing - the bridge is indeed high with the water w-a-y down below. The frustrating thing is that again, there were no trail markers. We passed 2 bridges wondering if they were High Bridge. When we finally got to High Bridge, we saw that it did indeed have its name on it.
We passed a couple of hikers who said that Tunnel Falls was the most beautiful place they've seen. Unfortunately, that was another 3 mile hike and it was already quite late and so we decided to turn around at High Bridge.
All in all, this was a very beautiful hike and if we visit the area again, we'd do this hike again.
The walk is very, very pretty and it isn't very difficult. I'd label it easy to moderate. You are hiking up, but the grade seems to not be that steep. There are cliffs along the walk with a fairly narrow (single file) walk way. So this may not be the hike for small kids. There are cables against the mountain wall in all of these areas that you can have kids hold on to - or even yourself if you are nervous around heights. (We never needed to hold the cables, the path is wide enough to not be concerned, in general - but I don't think I would have brought a toddler on this hike, for example, without holding his/her hands firmly.)
Unfortunately, there are almost no trail markers on this hike, which was a bit frustrating. After a few miles on the hike, there is a fork in the road. If you continue on the main trail to the left, you continue going up the mountain. If you take the right fork, you will hike down (rather steep grade) to the waterfall. I highly recommend doing that, as the Punchbowl area is very, very pretty. Plenty of places for a picnic. You can wade in the knee deep water or swim out near the waterfall. (Of course, then you have the steep walk back up - but it was still very much worth visiting.)
If you take the left fork, you can continue up the mountain. We went as far as the 'High Bridge' which is 3.3 miles one way. I'd say it was worth seeing - the bridge is indeed high with the water w-a-y down below. The frustrating thing is that again, there were no trail markers. We passed 2 bridges wondering if they were High Bridge. When we finally got to High Bridge, we saw that it did indeed have its name on it.
We passed a couple of hikers who said that Tunnel Falls was the most beautiful place they've seen. Unfortunately, that was another 3 mile hike and it was already quite late and so we decided to turn around at High Bridge.
All in all, this was a very beautiful hike and if we visit the area again, we'd do this hike again.
Written 13 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
StellerJ2
PNW33 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
Nice hike out and very cold water to get in and refresh. NOT JUST OFF ROAD. Very pretty area. This part of trail does have a but of a steep descent but doesn't last long. Easily doable. Not like the Popular M fall down the road that just goes on and on and on... :)
Written 22 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janice N
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA547 contributions
Oct 2015 • Couples
There are two trails for Punchbowl Falls and if you have the time I recommend veering off the path down to the bottom of the falls (Lower Punchbowl Falls) first, then hiking back up and continuing on to the overview of the falls. There are some parts of the path that are very narrow, but there are wall rails for those portions. We went on a slightly damp day, but didn’t have any issues completing the entire trail. It is roughly 5 miles round trip.
Written 22 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gravy64
Vancouver, WA665 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
My wife and I took this hike yesterday. You should get there early as this is a very popular place and parking fills up fast. The hike to the Falls is beautiful. Some of the trail is cut right out of the side of a cliff face. You should definitely keep an eye on younger children. The only disappointing part of this trip was at the falls. There really is no good photo op of the falls. When we were there the Lower Falls were being used by folks jumping off cliffs into the pool below. I did manage to get a picture of the falls though. I just had the wade out into the creek a ways.
Written 28 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Don M
Castle Rock, CO442 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
Beautiful falls via a moderate 2 mile trail. The trail is cut into the side of the gorge and is very narrow in some places.
Written 23 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charity
Lethbridge, Canada20 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
On a hot day, the 3 miles seems longer and I wouldn't have wanted to bring children under 5 on the trail, but the waterfall does not disappoint! Cool, refreshing and beautiful!
Written 23 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LisafromNHollywood
north hollywoid78 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
The 2 mile hike to the falls goes through beautiful trees, on the side of cliffs and over some rocky paths. It wasn't a hot day but I've hiked it in the past and the shade from the trees was nice. This time I didn't go to Tunnel Falls so it seemed a lot shorter. But my friends/family who came with me thought it was a nice length for a hike. 4 miles round trip plus the distance from your car to the trail head. We went on a Sunday and found parking in the first lot with the bathrooms. The falls were beautiful! I love that even when it's crowded you can take a picture and it's like your the only one there. Great hike!
Written 13 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dana L
New Jersey87 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
I was a little nervous about the hike since they said not recommended for small kids and pets because the trail goes onto the edge with a very high drop. I consider myself an easy to moderate hiker and I thought this was the best trail I had been on all week. We saw a group of senior citizens hiking, 20 moms with their babies strapped to their backs, families and even families with dogs. It was a great work out and it's more of a moderate hike if you haven't been off the couch in awhile.
Written 19 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronald B
Orem, UT1,280 contributions
Jan 2015 • Family
You'll love hiking this trail along the river, at the top of the precipice, under waterfalls, over streams, and in the clouds. Good sturdy shoes are a requirement. Prepare to get a little mud on the shoes. In summer you may want to wear your water/hiking shoes as it will be cooling to ford the streams rather than do the rock jumping exec rices. Our youngest is 5 and our oldest is 70. The trail is 2 miles up to the Punchbowl. The trail continues for a total of 13.5 miles. We stopped at the Punchbowl. Bring plenty of water and a trail mix because you will need the energy. Elevation change of about 700 feet. Trail is well traveled, but rough with stones and water all along the way. You will be in the wilderness as soon as you leave I-84. Took us about 3.5 hours for the round trip. Would classify this trail as intermediate. Well worth your time.
Written 20 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
adventurewoman2011
Gresham, OR59 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
Been here many times over the years. Nice and peaceful(even with roaring water sounds). Water is usually cold, because of run-off from Mt. Hood, but well worth it.
Written 8 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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