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Gorgeous! Columbia River waterfalls top a list of sights to savor
Journal photo by Karen L. Parker
Crown Point's Vista House, sitting atop the precipice at right, was completed in 1918 as a monument to pioneers.
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Published: November 9, 2008
ORTLAND, Ore. -- As Lewis and Clark followed the Columbia River on their quest to reach the Pacific, Lewis marveled at "several beautifull cascades" that fell from "stupendious rocks."
Several was an understatement, for among the hills and mountains on the Columbia's south bank is an extravaganza of cascades -- 77 in all -- in the biggest concentration of waterfalls in North America. Along with sweeping vistas of mountain, sky and water, they attract millions of visitors to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Created by the Columbia River, the formidable waterway that separates Oregon and Washington, the gorge holds a delightful procession of easily accessible waterfalls that pour from basalt cliffs and splash into dark pools below. And an interstate runs through it.
Starting at Troutdale on the Oregon side and going about 80 miles west to The Dalles, Interstate 84 parallels the river, providing easy access to the gorge. The Historic Columbia River Highway, two-lane U.S. 30, parallels the interstate as far as the town of Dodson. It is the scenic route and the only way to reach some of the gorge's attractions.
Our trip started at Corbett, where we left the interstate and picked up the river highway. The winding road commands a leisurely drive, and there is something about waterfall gazing that makes you want to take it easy. Wahkeena Falls, out first stop, was a picturesque stream of water tumbling down 200 feet over rocks and almost to the road, where it is easily seen but not easy to photograph through the abundant foliage.
Next up was Multnomah Falls, the most visited of them all. In fact, it is so well visited that we couldn't find a place to park. So we decided to pick it up on the way back and moved on to Horsetail Falls, which did not disappoint us. For one, you couldn't miss it -- it was right there at the side of the road. At 176 feet high, it resembles its name, and the horsetail shape -- pinched in toward the top and fanning out at the bottom -- comes from maintaining contact with bedrock, waterfall aficionados say.
Next came a different kind of water show -- the imposing Bonneville Dam and Lock and fish hatchery. Bonneville, a hydroelectric giant, is a series of dams that span the Columbia. The visitor center is on an island in the river near the dam's massive spillway. To the other side is a lock to allow river traffic past the dam, for the Columbia, the fourth-largest river in the U.S., is a working waterway that carries barges transporting chemicals, fertilizer, lumber products, grain and produce downriver to Portland.
But for all Bonneville's utility, it was a barrier to native salmon and other fish that annually migrate upstream to spawn. The problem was solved by a building a fish "ladder" to allow the salmon to bypass the dam. The underwater parade of salmon and other fish can be viewed from a series of fish windows at the visitor center. On the day of our visit, the water was murky, and the most I could see were shadowy shapes with tails and fins. Just as I gave up trying to get a photo of a discernible fish, a little girl with pigtails rushed up to me excitedly, beckoning me to "Come look!" I followed her to the next window, where what looked like a pile of gray tubes or cables lay in a corner.
As I drew closer, the tubes appeared to have attached themselves to the window, and the picture became clear: Eels! Lamprey eels, to be exact -- ugly little suckers clinging to the glass. They made my skin crawl. But the parasitic lampreys, a declining species, have rights to the fish ladder because they, too, also move upstream to spawn. But the tubular eels, poor swimmers, can't latch onto the ladder's concrete walls, making their passage a struggle. One explanation of the slippery congregation in the fish window was that they were resting from the trials of dealing with the ladder.
Another section of the center allows visitors to observe the lock, and we were told that if we hurried, we could catch a barge coming through right then. We missed that one, but as we left the island, we were stopped when a swing bridge was opened to let a barge through. It moved at a snail's pace, making the wait seemed interminably long, though it was probably about 10 minutes.
The Bridge of the Gods and the Cascade Locks were the next stop and also the end of the gorge's most popular sights. This bridge also connects Washington and Oregon and is part of the Pacific Crest Scenic Nature Trail. Its name, which conjures up expectations of something otherworldly, comes by way of an involved Indian legend about the creation and collapse of a natural earthen-dam bridge on the site in which the Great Spirit had a hand, hence the name. There is nothing celestial about today's steel truss cantilever bridge that was built by the U.S. War Department in 1926, but the steel span adopted the name.
Back down the road at Multnomah, we pulled into the parking lot just as an SUV was backing out. Feeling triumphant, we trudged across the road and quickly saw why the lot had been full. The number of people headed for the falls exceeded the occupancy of all the vehicles in the parking lot.
Where did they come from? Stairs descending at the edge of the lot were a clue. A much bigger parking lot on the Washington side of the interstate provided pedestrian access to the falls through a tunnel beneath I-84.
First we had to make our way through the throng of adults, kids and dogs jockeying to pose for photos with the falls as a backdrop. At last we could look up -- way up -- and the sight of it provoked an automatic "wow!" And it's easy to see why Multnomah draws more than 2 million visitors annually. The second-highest, year-round waterfall in the U.S., majestic Multnomah drops down 620 feet in two tiers, with the wispy upper falls descending 542 feet, and the lower falls, 69 feet. The other falls we had seen seemed insignificant by comparison.
But something was out of place in the Multnomah Falls picture -- people in the middle of falls. They were standing on a pedestrian bridge that runs from one side of the falls to the other. Accessible by an easy trail, it allows visitors to get up close and personal with the falls.
At the foot of Multnomah, close to the road, sits Historic Multnomah Lodge. Built in 1925 from native rocks in the gorge, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. In its restaurant, a spectacular view of the falls is on the menu along with Northwest cuisine. This is not a sleeping lodge; its other amenities include a gift shop and a U.S. Forest Service visitor center.
What could top a sight like Multnomah Falls? Though we had failed to visit perhaps three other falls on the route, we felt sated with sightseeing until we spotted the sign to Crown Point Vista. Recalling that we had read that it was not to be missed, we headed up a curving road that ended on a precipice with a spectacular panorama. The Columbia, glistening in the in the late afternoon sun, was, of course, the star of this scenery. In supporting roles were the wooded pinnacles and peaks that flanked the Columbia. And below on one side ran the interstate and a puny stream called the Sandy, which dares to demand credit as river.
Crown Point's Vista House, a copper-domed, stone octagon completed in 1918 as a monument to pioneers, sits proudly high on its precipice above the river. Considered a symbol of the gorge, it contains interpretive displays of geologic and historic points of interest as well as a museum, gift shop and rest facilities.
For those who like more exercise than hopping in and out of the car, the gorge is laced with hiking trails, including some that lead to the smaller falls back in the hills. The gorge's lofty bluffs and the river's currents create a natural wind-tunnel that makes it one of the top places in the world for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Among other available outdoor sports are road and mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, snowboarding and skiing.
Then there's simply gazing at waterfalls. It won't burn up many calories or rate as a cardio-worthy pursuit, but it very well might cause your heart to flutter.
If you go
• Getting there: Portland, Ore., which is served by all the major airlines, is the nearest airport to the Columbia River Gorge. Although a rental car will allow visitors to keep to their own schedules, there are a range of tours.
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the best times for a gorge visit are: "Spring for best waterfalls, fall for best weather, midweek for fewest crowds. Winter storms can be hazardous." See www.tripcheck.com/Pages/SBcolumbiaRiver.asp.
• Tours: On foot, on bikes, in vehicles and on boats, they are plentiful. Among them are Soujourn bicycle tours of the gorge, www.gosojourn.com/oregon/bike-tour-oregon.php, and hiking tours from Timberline Adventures, 800-417-2453, www.timbertours.com.
Eco Tours of Oregon has a Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls Tour that also includes a trip to Mount Hood. 888-TOURS-33 (888-868-7733), www.ecotours-of-oregon.com/gorge.htm.
Portland Spirit operates the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, a replica of a triple-decker paddle wheeler, which cruises the Columbia out of the Port of Cascade Locks. Dinner cruises out of Portland are also available. Portland Spirit, 800-224-3901, www.portlandspirit.com.
Adventure Cruises -- 800-613-2789, www.adventurecruises.com. -- offers 7-night cruises of the Columbia on its small ships, paddlewheeler or sternwheeler.
• Lodging: The towns in and near the gorge have some of the popular hotel and motel chains, as well as quaint inns. There are many, many campgrounds, usually open from May 1 through mid-October. See www.gonorthwest.com/oregon/columbia/columbia_river....
• More information: There are several state parks with picnic areas and access to trails. More details about the gorge are available from Washington State Tourism, www.experiencewa.com/scenic-byways/columbia-river-... the Oregon Transportation Department at www.tripcheck.com/Pages/SBcolumbiaRiver.asp; and also from Go Northwest! at www.gonorthwest.com/oregon/columbia/columbia_river....
And the Columbia River Gorge Visitors Association, www.crgva.org/directory.htm.
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