The Columbia River Gorge

The stunningly beautiful Columbia River Gorge stretches over 80 miles (130 km) between Washington State and Oregon. The Columbia River itself, is the 4th largest river in the US and stretches over 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from British Columbia, Canada, through Washington and Oregon where it empties into the Pacific Ocean at Astoria, Oregon.

It is one of Oregon’s Seven Wonders due to its beauty and diverse landscape and is a popular place for water sports, hiking and sightseeing. It is the largest natural scenic area in the US, where there are misty mountains, rain forests, alpine meadows and even a desert at the eastern end of the gorge.

The area also has the highest concentration of waterfalls, close to two dozen, of any area in the country. Multnomah Falls is the most famous and popular.

Native Americans lived here for thousands of years before the first European explorers, Lewis and Clark, arrived in 1805. Clark had this to say:

. …the river widens to near a mile, and the bottoms are more extensive and thickly timbered, as also the high mountains on each side. Willam Clark.

Click here if you’re interested in learning more about the extensive history of the area.

Both theTravelsketcher and I have explored the gorge extensively over the decades. It was a preferred place for him to go hiking and backpacking in his younger days. My grandmother lived in Hood River, so I spent many days in the area as a child and into my early adulthood. You can read about that here:

Day Trip to Hood River, Oregon

Luckily for us, the gorge is just a few miles from our home in Portland, so we visit often. There are several state parks along the gorge that offer a variety of activities.

About 60 miles from Portland is Hood River. It was a sleepy little agricultural town when I visited my grandmother here years ago. Then someone discovered the mighty winds in the area. Today it is considered to be the windsurfing capital of the world.

As a result, it is now a thriving town with restaurants, fancy hotels, art galleries and winery tasting rooms. There were many apple and pear orchards here when I was a child, most of which are now vineyards.

There are many places to stop along the gorge to take in the beautiful scenery, including Oneonta Tunnel and Gorge. Unfortunately, the hike is permanently closed due to the Eagle Creek Fire that occurred here in 2017.

So, what do you think of the Columbia River Gorge? As always, I would love to hear from you, so leave a message if you please.

If you’re curious about our current activities, check out theTravelsketcher’s recent posts about life in The Pearl.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia