For a full day and adventure, hike 6 miles (12 round-trip) to Tunnel Falls, a trek that takes you into the Gorges best taste of a wilderness adventure. We hiked out expecting to stay there, but we had to hike back because the site wasn't viable. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire burned hot in this section of the gorge, so you will be constantly reminded of that conflagration. "There's nothing about her face that's just not pretty, everything is pretty.". on official, secure websites. Eagle Creek to Punchbowl Falls. there are some very high cliffs and if you are afraid of heights or afraid of falling just be a little cautious. The steep slopes above you are composed of conglomerates from the Eagle Creek Formation, sedimentary deposits laid down by the ancient Columbia River millions of years before the Columbia River Basalt Flows. She was learning to play the piano She loved it. Arnold and his team of investigators try to reconstruct what happened to Rhonda, but it's not easy more than six years after her death. Sandy, OR 97055 Parkdale, Oregon 97041 503-668-1700 541-352-6002 The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. "She asked him to leave the bar, she said, 'Maybe I'll just leave you,'" Sconce said. "So I tried to call her, and I got no answer," Julia Simmons said. The beauty here can mask a dangerous truth -- that these paths can be perilous. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. About 6 miles from the trailhead, hikers will reach Tunnel Falls, the most impressive waterfall on Eagle Creek, and one of Oregons best. We hiked all the way to the lake and camped! Bail was set at $2 million. And she goes, 'I told you.'". Melanie declined to speak with "48 Hours," and Nichols says allegations of statutory rape, or any relationship, are false. On many sections, there is a steep cliff to one side of the trail. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. "Yes, we were very good buddies," she replied. Be cautious on the upcoming trail as it is well over 100 feet above the river below and can be narrow. There is one more 200 foot waterfall ahead about a half a mile. Certainly finished soaking wet, but that's to be expected on a rainy day in January. Easy 4.7 (2074) Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. For a nice day-trip, hike 3.3 miles (6.6 round-trip) to aptly named High Bridge, then return and head to Cascade Locks for a late lunch. And knowing that you're never getting back to your child.". Mike Arnold: So you kinda hard up on money in 2009? "And as she said that, he turned around and said, 'If you leave me, I'll kill you.'". Investigators believe that's not true. "She got treated badly, and he tried to cheat on her several times," Julia Simmons alleged. Despite its moderate grade, the Eagle Creek Trail can be dangerous due to the steep cliff sides without railings and water crossings. There is lots of low-intensity fire, often known as good fire, where trees might have black scorch marks but the canopy is intact and the forest floor is covered up with ferns, moss or the golden color of bigleaf maple. Before leaving home, you should also check TripCheck.com to make sure the roads to Eagle Creek are open, as the exit off the interstate occasionally closes due to landslides. Julia Simmons [looking at document]: Well, I see it here, so I must've done it. Please enter valid email address to continue. The annual festival at @, Happy long weekend, everyone! Author Steve Jackson will go just about anywhere for a good story, including the Hood River County Courthouse, where he's researching a book, along with his investigator, on Rhonda Casto's death. Spend some time here and take some photos. I have never done anything to harm her," Nichols replied. "all the details that we'd so far heard, none of those makes sense with just simply sliding and falling down," said Arneson. There are rock benches on the stream here where you can take a break, and small drops above on the creek where there are swimming holes. Most hikers either turn. In a nutshell: One of Oregons most scenic trails, located in the Columbia River Gorge near Cascade Locks. The first 7 miles are the best but the lake at the end is nice. "He can be very charming," she said. All dogs must be on leash. He got a job teaching English to Chinese businessmen. Only after you pass the 7 and 1/2 mile camp will you enter an area where most of the trees are truly dead. (CASCADE LOCKS, Ore.) - Deputies say a 23-year old Portland woman died Monday afternoon after falling from a popular hiking trail west of Cascade Locks. It is also a popular alternative route to the Pacific Crest Trail. And I just immediately fell in love with her," said Nichols. Do not park in front of fish hatchery or along roadways or in areas marked "No Parking." There is a self-service pay station at the picnic area and the trailhead. What Ive always appreciated is how it can perfectly set up the type of day that you want to have. Then you'll negotiate another cable-railed cliff face on hexagonal "paving stones", actually columns of basalt sheared off by the original trail builders. "No, I did not. I love Rhonda. He said, 'She -- she fell. It is quite popular with easy vehicle access at the trailhead, so plan to see a lot of other hikers and is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. But COVID changed all that. "I liked China. --Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB. As you hike out along the cliff from Tunnel Falls on the sixth cabled section of the trail, you can see down to where the East Fork Eagle Creek plunges through a defile to its confluence with the West Fork. This trail offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any trail in the Gorge, including at least 5 waterfalls. Watch social media channels from the U.S. Forest Service Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. But ultimately, does Simmons' confession of taking her granddaughter's checks really tarnish all of her testimony in the case of her beloved Rhonda? The Eagle Creek Trail runs 13.1 miles one way, from the main trailhead to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail at Wahtum Lake, though few hike the whole thing. Starting at the trailhead, pass a weir, and then follow the wide well-groomed trail above the creek for a stretch. "And if it was not an accident, then what was she thinking when she went down -- that the person that she thought loved her could have done this to her?" "And I kept saying, 'I don't even know who you are, but you are the most amazing man I've ever met. Mike Arnold: What was the last line of your email back to him the next day? It was about 40 degrees and the weather was spotty. What really happened to Rhonda Casto? For overnight backpacking up Eagle Creek Trail, it is highly recommended you park in the large parking lot near Eagle Creek Fish Hatchery. Please stay inside the guardrails. They quickly made an improvised lifeline, made literally from the clothes off their backs. Some brave trail runners present! And I said, 'No, thank you,'" Nichols told Van Sant. As always this trail is absolutely amazing! Not the trails fault that people dont know how to dig a hole or pack it out. Beyond, the next 3 miles to Tunnel Falls do have some landslides that make for tricky hiking, and at least one semi-difficult creek crossing, but it does remain open and doable. Imagine adding exhaustion and weather to that situation. Given the narrow trail and the crowds, theres simply no way to hike Eagle Creek without coming within six feet of another person. I fully expected to spend the rest of my life with her. It was along the Eagle Creek trail that Rhonda Casto, a 23-year-old mother of a nine-month-old girl, set out with her boyfriend, Stephen Nichols, back on March 16, 2009. If you're looking for a campsite, Seven and a Half Mile Camp is a little farther up the trail. Loowit Falls is named after an old Indian woman of the same name who supposedly took care of an everlasting fire on the Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia before transforming into Mt. He passed the couple on the trail possibly minutes before Rhonda's fatal fall: Mike Arnold: And what did she look like? We were hiking and she -- it was all icy and she just slipped off the mountain.'". Read the regulations carefully and attach the permit visibly on your backpack. "Have you done anything wrong?" "You know, Peter, the funny thing about science is you don't have to believe in it for it to be true," he replied. "I spend probably 80 percent of my waking hours just reading. The bridge was damaged in the Eagle Creek Fire, with its floorboards completely burned, so it was replaced in October 2019, with the new version being airlifted in by helicopter. Oregon Medical Examiner Christopher Young performed Rhonda's autopsy and testified at Nichols' bail hearing that all of Rhonda's serious injuries occurred below her waist. "Everything about her was impressive. "The exact opposite. You may recognize this viewpoint from photos and postcards. Detectives from Hood River County, where Eagle Creek Trail is located, began investigating Rhonda's death. Ever. His daughter was sent to live with Rhonda's family. This is one of the most popular trails in the Columbia River Gorge and can be a crowded experience on summer weekends. "So how does a kid from Oregon end up in China?" He was buying drinks for all of us. Tunnel Falls is amazing view with the ice and snow just be prepared to cross a creek with no dry crossing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management: National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required; fee kiosk at the trailhead, Restrooms, picnic tables, information kiosk, nearby campground, Limited parking; if lot is full, go back to the. Wear some good shoes, hiking boots are best if you are walking more than 1 mile. You're a witness. Eagle Creek Trailhead & Trail (#440) Area Status: Open This spectacular cliffside hike passes through a forested basalt cliff overlooking Eagle Creek. 2023 www.statesmanjournal.com. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Looking across the gorge, you can see different layers of basalt entablature separated by narrower bands of colonnade. CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. - A hiker died Tuesday night after falling into Punchbowl Falls on the Eagle Creek Trail, just south of the Washington-Oregon border in the Columbia River Gorge.. "I didn't have a team of investigators there. Distance: 15.4 miles round-trip to the Eagle Creek Ford. After you pass through the tunnel, you'll see yellow-blooming streambank arnica clinging to the cliff face. Hikers have been rediscovering the beauty of Eagle Creek since it reopened on Jan. 1, more than three years after closing due to the Eagle Creek fire. Here is the story: A 23-year-old Portland woman died Monday 3/16 after falling 100 feet down an embankment on the popular Eagle River trail, west of Cascade Locks, Hood River County authorities said. She's quite beautiful.'". Whether you're getting ready to hike, bike, trail run, or explore other outdoor activities, AllTrails has 3 scenic trails in the Eagle Creek area. Campfire prohibited June 1 - Sept 15. "I somehow grabbed onto a root," she said. From this area, you can get a view back to a pinnacle formation on the west side of the Eagle Creek Gorge; this needle had been concealed by tall conifers before the Eagle Creek Fire. But every now and again you hear it the loud crack and crash of a fire-weakened tree splitting and plummeting down the canyon. The hike was beautiful though. Van Sant asked. This waterfall is what makes this hike absolutely amazing! "She was, like, it for me. The Eagle Creek Trail is a frequent spot for search and rescue operations, so be prepared with food, water and a GPS device and the ability to stay overnight if you plan on heading far down the trail. Remember, five long years had passed after Rhonda's death before Stephen Nichols was charged with her murder. The trail was the site of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, leaving burn. The trail negotiates its third cable-railed section on a high cliff with views to massive boulders that have tumbled into the creek below. "Um, when we started off, it was actually a very nice day," he replied. Arnold says no tests were done to see if Rhonda made any contact with the outcroppings on the way down the cliffside -- contact that could have affected where her body finally came to rest. Scary parts: If exploring makes you nervous, this might not be the hike for you, as parts of the trail scale rocky cliffs high above the creek below. "A little over two months and she was fluent in Mandarin She had dance lessons. "If you're a young couple with a kid you should have life insurance," Arnold said. And Arnold thinks he knows why Rasmussen, after all that time, decided to act: Mike Arnold: There's an email that was read earlier into the record from Steve Jackson to you, dated February 17th, 2014. The upper parking area is found beside the Cascade Salmon Hatchery just off the interstate and has room for about three dozen cars. This is still the same scenic trail it has always been - all the same waterfalls! Hikers pass through a rock tunnel behind Tunnel Falls on the Eagle Creek Trail in the Columbia River Gorge, as the trail reopens more than three years after the Eagle Creek fire.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian. That's something that can't be outlawyered, it can't be confused with rumor and innuendo," he continued. When Rhonda died in 2009, she was the fourth fatality on the Gorge trails in just a six-month period. It affords spectacular views of the creek's slot canyon, where a cool, ethereal fog offers a reprieve on a hot summer day. "When I look at Steve Nichols, I see an innocent man falsely accused that's grieving over the loss of Rhonda," said Arnold. (The Eagle Benson Trail, which rises 2,900 feet to the Benson Plateau, has not been maintained since the 2017 fire.). Wild flowers and butterflies. "I went over to Julia's room and I'm like, 'Your daughter is just incredibly beautiful.' I think it was Mike Arnold: It was because of the pressure put on you by Steve Jackson. One of the most popular backpacking trails; there are multiple camping sites along the trail. website belongs to an official government organization in the Aside from having proper footwear, maintaining physical awareness is key. Travel east approximately 1 mile on Interstate 84 to exit #41 which is just past the Interstate tunnel. Please. Hike Type: Out and back. "Anywhere we went, we would make new friends because Rhonda was just outgoing and wanted to talk to everybody.". "A mom can be like, you know, 'Oh well, I'm biased, because she's my daughter.' Indeed, even after Eagle Creek Trail officially reopened last year, it has been closed or blocked multiple times by landslides. Everything's gotta be just so," said Simmons. Again, a great photo opportunity. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. Please consult a good, up to date map when planning backpacking trips. For many of them are not accessible and you only see them from the trail that sometimes is far above the river. "Attraction right away?" Hikers should stay away from the edges of the trail, where possible, and should avoid leaving the trail for any reason. I love you. The vast majority of trees that were killed in the fire are still standing with weakened root structures that means they do fall over pretty regularly, said Karen Davis, spokeswoman for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. ) or https:// means you've safely All rights reserved. And I'm like, 'Hi, I'm --"' and she goes, 'Steve.' Stephen Nichols will stand trial for the murder of Rhonda Casto. This trail is truly one of the most beautiful and well maintained in the northwest. Nichols called his father to break the news, but could barely get the words out. Very icy and there were some sketchy parts but nothing too overwhelming. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. On Thursday, all parking areas around the trailhead filled up by 9 a.m., as people took advantage of a break in the rain. High point: 505 feet. I hope that someday, justice will be served.". People think of all the days, why would you choose that day to hike?" He also was ordered to write apology letters to 152 people trapped on the Eagle Creek trail because of the spreading flames, the city of Cascade Locks, the Forest Service, Oregon State Parks, the. It is not recommended for children or those with accessibility issues. Suddenly, disaster struck. The hike to Tunnel Falls is one of the most storied day trips in the Pacific Northwest (see the long list of guidebooks below). "Absolutely not," he replied. Arnold claims Simmons would do just about anything for money, including a despicable crime: cashing her granddaughter's monthly death benefit check from the government despite never having custody of her. Looking up or around you as you walk can sometimes result in a loss of balance, and on the Eagle Creek Trail that can be deadly. But Simmons says that doesn't really sound like her daughter. She remembers her best friend as simply irreplaceable. "He wanted to be with my other daughter and he wanted Rhonda out of the picture," Julia Simmons told Van Sant. The Eagle Creek Trail is the most popular trail in the Columbia Gorge. It was heavily forested and gorgeous! It could potentially be a criminal act. At the junction with the Lower Punch Bowl Trail #440B, you can descend 300 feet down into the gorge to a spot just upstream of Lower Punch Bowl Falls; however, the view of Punch Bowl Falls from the end of this spur trail no longer exists due to a 2018 landslide that blocked the creek (see the Eagle Creek to Punch Bowl Falls Hike). Immediately off the exit at the stop sign, take a right and continue down Eagle Creek Lane past the Eagle Creek Fish Hatchery, keeping right down Eagle Creek Loop which ends at the trailhead. Fees: Northwest Forest Pass required, or pay a $5 fee at the trailhead per car. I dont recommend this trail in potentially icy conditions. Got there about 9am and were able to park in the closest lot to the trail; the flush bathrooms there are working. Why? Arnold wants to know what hard evidence led to Nichols' arrest. Waterproof hiking boots will save your feet from a very uncomfortable day. There are already a few small slides on the trail, some of which require tricky crossings. Please also be mindful of your pets and be sure to wear proper footwear. But Rhonda didn't have to say a word to make an impression. Luckily, several hikers happened by. There are no guardrails to speak of. READ MORE: Hikers return to Eagle Creek Trail, as one of Oregons best hikes reopens, Hikers return to the Eagle Creek Trail in the Columbia River Gorge, more than three years after the trail closed due to the Eagle Creek fire.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian. As you pass behind it just think about how much effort it must have taken back then to do this work far into this canyon! Investigators returned to the scene of Rhonda Casto's fall for an unusual experiment. AMENITIES: Portable toilets, parking lots. "It's been really hard, just having no closure and not knowing what happened," friend Jessica Colburn said. "I always believed, you know, he pushed her," said Gerry Tiffany. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "I can tell that -- based on the injuries that she has, she -- she landed predominantly on her legs and her pelvis," Young testified. This trail follows a cliff for portions and can be very dangerous when slippery. Entiat River. "I shouldn't have survived that," said April Meads, a 20-year-old college student and athlete. Now retired, Tiffany was the lead detective following Rhonda Casto's death in 2009. Arnold read a portion of Jackson's email aloud in court: "I'm sending this to you today as a courtesy to let you know that I am resuming my intentions to research and write about this. Cliff jumping off of Punch Bowl Falls is not permitted. The trail passes behind the 172-foot plunge through a tunnel carved into the rock, emerging beside the spray on the other side. We intended to hike to the campsite at mile 4 on the All Trails map, only to find this area no longer exists, so we hiked to 5.5 and found a couple of spots. Otherwise, stay on the Eagle Creek Trail, and cross a massive crib wall constructed by the PCTA at a spot where the trail slid away. This trail begins at Eagle Creek Campground and ends at Wahtum Lake. "T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, things like that," Meads explained. "The pelvis was essentially shattered," Young told the court. "You don't think about your friend's name being said and saying that she has died by falling off a cliff," Brandi Arneson said in tears. "'Cause now the most important thing was her daughter.". (541) 308-1700 There are six sections where cable handrails will give you a sense of security as you pass above vertical drops. That's why we're here," said Jackson. A user trail takes you through high brush to the top of Skoonichuck Falls. Along much of this hike you will follow a narrow path along basalt cliffs towering above a narrow canyon below holding Eagle Creek. My name is Rhonda.' Next, you'll see the mouth of Opal Creek, which flows steeply down from the bowl below Tanner Butte.