Punch Bowl Falls (Punchbowl Falls) Although this 30ft waterfall by itself isn't much to rave about, you might recognize it in post cards and calendars of photos taken of it from the banks of Eagle Creek. Unfortunately, we were unable to attain that view as Eagle Creek had too much water and it was a bit too cold to attempt to wade in it to get that picture post card view. If you want to make the attempt yourself, you have to hike about a half mile further than the Metlako Falls turnoff crossing Sorenson Creek in the process. You're likely to get your foot wet on this crossing if there has been a lot of rain or snowmelt (as was the case on our visit). Shortly after the crossing, there's a signposted spur for "Lower Punch Bowl Trail."
The view you're likely to see of this waterfall is from the top-down, which is a short half-mile or less beyond the Lower Punch Bowl turnoff. It looks like the National Forest Service went through great pains to discourage anyone from getting closer to the cliff edge or scramble down a very steep gully towards the creek level for that post card view. The evidence is in all the closure signs and railings at the cliff's edge. And like we stated for the Metlako Falls page, this trail contains plenty of dropoff hazards so do take care and don't underestimate the danger. [Back to top]  Crossing Sorenson Creek The underwhelming lower falls Dropoff exposure continues beyond Metlako Falls as we headed back A particularly narrow part of the trail[Back to top] A top-down view of the falls as the lower view was inaccessible due to high water Sweep from left to right of the Lower Punch Bowl Falls. View Larger Map TRIP REPORTSFor more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCESNEARBY WATERFALLSHave You Been To This Waterfall?
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Further on the Eagle Creek Trail
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Take that spur which descends quickly to the top of the Lower Punch Bowl Falls. This tiny horseshoe-shaped waterfall is also underwhelming, but the key is to continue scrambling alongside the banks of Eagle Creek further upstream until you come face-to-face with the main falls. 
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| My cousins and I lived on State Hwy. 216, just a mile or so east of the park entrance in 1978 and 1979. We frequently went to the falls during the hot summer...[more] |
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