Landslides Close Trail

Columbia Gorge

Ten hikers were trapped but rescued with minor injuries two weeks ago when a landslide covered 300 feet of the popular Eagle Creek Trail about a half-mile from the trailhead at Eagle Creek Hatchery in the Columbia River Gorge.

The slide stretched 700 feet from top to bottom.

The trail was closed and won’t reopen until the ground dries out enough for it to be cleared and rebuilt, said Stan Hinatsu, recreation program manager for the U.S. Forest Service office in Hood River.

“It could go through the summer months before the trail is open,” he said.

One of the rocks now blocking the trail is larger than a car, and some of the downed trees were 4 and 5 feet in diameter, officials said.

The landslide came just days after a slide wiped out 100 feet of the trail that leads from Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls to the top of the 620-foot waterfall.

Officials said more serious landslides could hit the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area during this year’s rainy season.