Gorging on the Columbia’s Scenery

The Columbia Gorge packs a lot of Oregon into its narrow confines: pioneer history, epic water projects, boggy rain forests, neat orchards, high desert and high waterfalls.

No wonder Portlanders with only a day to show visitors the Beaver State’s diversity drive east an hour to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. While the great gorge has an abundance of spectacular scenery, it has a dearth of dining establishments, hotels or even campgrounds; thus, the gorge is an ideal day trip.

Meandering along the Oregon side of the Columbia River is the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. With financing provided by railroad magnate Sam Hill and the backing of prominent Portlanders, highway construction began in 1913 and finished several years later. Chief engineer Samuel Lancaster studied the great roads of Europe--byways along the Rhine in Germany and through the Alps in Switzerland--before designing his Columbian work of art. Etched into the basalt cliffs, the road offers a beautiful view at every turn. For years it was the Pacific Northwest’s only paved road, as well as America’s first officially designated scenic highway.

Most gorge trails were built between 1915 and 1924 after completion of the highway. Today about 200 miles of trail penetrate the gorge; most trail heads are within an hour’s drive of Portland. Routes range from easy waterfall walks to long, all-day loops into the Columbia Gorge Wilderness.

Most of the gorge’s gorgeous lower elevation footpaths are open all year. Some adventurers will even enjoy hiking the gorge in (dare we say

In spring, while the nearby Cascades are still snowbound, the gorge is a green stream of leafy trees. Autumn is awesome when the cottonwood and maple don their fall colors. Leaf peepers will especially admire the dogwood with its peach-red-colored leaves.

For the casual walker, many well-marked short hikes to waterfalls begin along the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. Most popular is the short stroll to 620-foot Multnomah Falls. Nearby Wahkeena Falls, a series of staircase cascades, is a one-mile round-trip walk. The U.S. Forest Service has an information counter at Multnomah Lodge at the base of Multnomah Falls, and can provide maps and hiking suggestions. With a little creative map-reading, you can put together some splendid three-to-five-mile loops that visit several waterfalls.

For an unforgettable view of the gorge, head for landmark Beacon Rock, a huge hunk of basalt towering 850 feet on the Washington side of the Columbia River a short distance west of Bonneville Dam. Steep switchbacks (made safe by guardrails) and a series of catwalks climb the rock. To reach the trail head for the 1.6-mile round-trip climb, take the Cascade Locks exit off eastbound Interstate 84, cross the bridge and double back along the Washington side.

For a longer hike, I recommend Eagle Creek Trail, which begins from the scenic highway a few miles west of the town of Cascade Locks. It’s 4.2 miles round trip to the lovely and well-named Punch Bowl Falls. You can continue on the well-engineered path through forest and across the face of cliffs to Texas Camp for a memorable 15-mile round-trip hike.

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Multnomah Falls, Beacon Rock, Eagle Creek Trails

WHERE:Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, near Portland, Oregon.

DISTANCE: 1-12 miles round trip.

TERRAIN: Dramatic cliffs, lush forests, waterfalls.

HIGHLIGHTS: Views of mighty river, Columbia Gorge.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy-moderate.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: U.S. Forest Service, Columbia River,Gorge National Scenic Area, 902 Wasco Ave., Suite 200, Hood River, OR 97031; tel. (503) 386-2333.