.All Trips / North America / Oregon / Pacific Northwest / Washington

The Amazing Columbia River Gorge!

Columbia River 3-2006 020  Oneonta Gorge  Beacon Rock in distance.
One of the most scenic road trips anywhere in the world is on the Oregon side of the Gorge, on the Columbia River Highway (I-84), between Portland and the Dalles.  Besides a smooth drive on the freeway, an excellent diversion here is to head up the old Historic Columbia River Highway, a narrow road that twists its way through the mountains and cliffs, past dozens of waterfalls, including the beautiful 620-foot (190 m)  Multnomah Falls. The Columbia River is one of North America's longest, at 1200 miles (1930 km) long, starting in southeastern British Columbia, Canada.  The Columbia River Gorge was carved by glacial floods (especially the Missoula Flood) thousands of years ago and is the only sea-level passage through the Cascade Mountain range. 

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“Pic of the Week”, August 29, 2014: Vista House and the Columbia River Gorge

03 Columbia River 3-2006 057 Vista House
One of the most dramatic road trips one can make in the United States is through the Columbia River Gorge.  The Columbia River, the mightest river in the American West, originates in British Columbia but near its entry to the Pacific serves as a dividing line between Washington and Oregon State.  This historic river route was traveled by the Lewis and Clark expedition over 200 years ago.  The drive along the Gorge just to the east of Portland is breathtaking! A favorite stopping point along the way on the Oregon side is Vista House, constructed on the Crown Point Promontory.  Once called “Thor’s Heights,” Crown Point is a basalt rock formation created by volcanic lava and sculpted by the elements.  

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“Pic of the Week”, July 4, 2014: Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Columbia River 3-2006 055
One of the great drives in America is through the Columbia River Gorge west of Portland.  There are lush green mountains, steep cliffs and numerous (77) waterfalls to enjoy.   Of these many waterfalls, Multnomah Falls is the grandest of the them all. Multnomah Falls drops 620 ft (189 m) in two steps, and is a popular destination.  Only three waterfalls in the USA are higher, and none are in a more lovely setting.  A trail from Multnomah Falls Lodge takes you across the arched Simon Benson Bridge (1914) over the shorter lower cascade, then the trail switchbacks up towards the top of the upper cascade. It's a beautiful, misty place.  Hard to keep the lens dry but that didn't stop me from

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