Eagle Creek Trail, Punchbowl Falls

Prints can be found Here

Eagle Creek Trail, Punchbowl Falls. 48x36 oils on Canvas.

 
This painting is part of the Expressions Across the Country Invitational show at Cole Gallery in Edmonds Washington. September 1, 2021 - September 27, 2021.

We are thrilled to present "Expressions Across the Country" ~ Invitational, featuring six nationally acclaimed painters beyond the Northwest! Each of these brilliant artists bring a diverse collection of subject and style, with their own distinctive vision. All of these artists are friends of our own Scott Jones, who joined the staff of Cole Gallery last year after spending 12 years as the general manager for Legacy Gallery and Gallery Wild. His vast experience in the gallery world and knowing some of the most famous artists in the country has been a boon for our community and especially our collectors! We know you will enjoy this compilation featuring 32 new paintings!

The Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls hike is one of the shorter options for taking in the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge and perhaps is the most popular, taking in three of the 10 major waterfalls to be seen along the creek and its tributaries. Note that the name of the waterfall is correctly spelled as two words, i.e. "Punch Bowl" not "Punchbowl."

The Eagle Creek Trail is the quintessential hike in the Columbia River Gorge, boasting several spectacular waterfalls, tall basalt cliffs, and the lush temperate rain forests that so characterize the Pacific Northwest. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire has scarred the landscape, however, although the trail, reopened in 2021 after much painstaking labor by the PCTA (Pacific Crest Trail Association), is fully intact. That lush forest canopy has completely burned off in places, and an understory of sun-loving shrubbery has grown up along much of the lower section of the trail. The blackened snags and scorched trunks of conifers stand out on the steep hillsides above the Eagle Creek gorge.

Maybe as impressive as the trail itself is the story of how it was built. It was begun in 1915 as part of the work on the Historic Columbia River Highway. In many sections, workers used dynamite to blast the trail out of cliff faces. The Forest Service's first full-service campground was established where the fish hatchery now is, and soon thousands of people could enjoy areas that were impossible to traverse otherwise. The original trail has remained nearly unchanged to this day.