Historic Columbia River Highway
A Full Day on the Columbia River
| Departure: | Portland, Oregon |
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| Destination: | Portland, Oregon |
| Time to allow: | 1 day |
A day-long journey, this trip will take you from one end of the Historic Columbia River Highway to the other, over both sides of the Columbia River, and back again. You will see stunning vistas, hike to magnificent waterfalls, and immerse yourself in local history.
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Start: Portland
Portland is a popular metropolis and the beginning of your journey. It's a gorgeous city; almost 40,000 acres of park space are interspersed throughout stunning buildings. The city is abuzz with 1.7 million inhabitants, museums, gardens, and zoos.
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Stop 2: Troutdale
Directions from previous place: From Portland, take I-84 eastbound approximately 17 miles to the Troutdale exit.
Distance from Previous Site: 17 miles / 27.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Troutdale incorporates both a small-town atmosphere and the amenities typical to a metropolis. This city has a historic downtown with antique shops, an art gallery, a quilt store, two historic museums, and is the western gateway to the Historic Columbia River Highway.
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Stop 3: Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint
Distance from Previous Site: 10 miles / 16.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Also known as Chanticleer Point the Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint boasts one of the most magnificent views in the world. Several vistas are available for those taking the time to walk the Rooster Rock access road, which is passable for eight tenths of a mile from the park.
There are two interpretive signs at this location: one describes this view and the vision of Sam Hill and Samuel Lancaster to create the Historic Columbia River Highway; the other describes the ice age floods that created this landscape. A memorial to Sam Hill is also located on a large rock adjacent to the HCRH.
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Stop 4: Vista House
Distance from Previous Site: 1 miles / 1.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 2 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Continuing down the Byway, you will come to Vista House at Crown Point, one of the most photographed sites along the Historic Columbia River Highway. It is a memorial to Oregon's pioneers, an observatory, and public comfort station.
Samuel Lancaster, the Highway's chief engineer, believed that this outcropping of land, located atop a 733-foot sheer cliff overlooking the Columbia River, was one of the most spectacular vistas in the world. He knew that it was the ideal site for "an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite."
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Stop 5: Latourell Falls
Distance from Previous Site: 3 miles / 4.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes One of several waterfalls along this Byway, these beautiful falls lie hidden in the forest's deep green. Best of all, they are just a short hike from the road.
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Stop 6: Shepperd's Dell
Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes The small falls at Shepherd's Dell State Natural Area is a treat at the end of a short, verdant hike from the Highway.
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Stop 7: Wahkeena Falls
Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes There is a trail and a stone bridge that goes across the water. There are also picnic tables and a stone and wood pavilion.
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Stop 8: Multnomah Falls
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour Multnomah Falls is both the tallest and the most visited of the Byway's waterfalls. This beautiful, two-tiered cascade falls more than 600 feet in the upper falls, and about 50 feet in the lower falls making it the second highest year-round waterfall in the entire United States.
For a closer view, take the time to hike up to Benson Bridge, built in 1914 by local contractor Robert R. Ringer. Also, don't miss out on Multnomah Falls Lodge built in 1925. Inside the lodge is a gift shop, restaurant and US Forest Service Information Center.
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Stop 9: Horsetail Falls
Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Horsetail Falls is immediately adjacent to the Historic Columbia River Highway. The Forest Service maintains a parking lot accessing this site.
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Stop 10: Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail
Distance from Previous Site: 10 miles / 16.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour With the construction of Bonneville Dam in 1936, many portions of the original scenic highway became impassable and later, with the construction of I-84, other sections of the orignal highway were bypassed or covered over, and tunnels were filled with rocks or destroyed. Dedicated individuals have worked to have some of these old sections of the highway restored. Too narrow for modern vehicles, they are now open to hikers and bikers as the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.
Your exploration of the trail starts at the Toothrock Trailhead just off exit 40. From here you can park the car and hike up to Eagle Creek Recreation Area and Eagle Creek Overlook.
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Stop 11: Eagle Creek
Distance from Previous Site: 2 miles / 3.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 3 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour The first recreational site designated in a National Forest, Eagle Creek Recreation Area continues to be a popular for hiking, picnicking and camping. It also boasts a number of unique features. For example, you can enjoy the view of Bonneville Dam from the Eagle Creek overlook, or watch salmon swim in the Creek from the pedestrian observatory on the northwest corner of Eagle Creek Bridge, the only stone-masonry faced concrete bridge on the Highway. Eagle Creek is also the home of "Big John," thought to be the first flush toilet installed in a forest service facility.
After you have worked up an appetite by exploring, take time to rest and enjoy the scenery with a picnic lunch before heading back to the trailhead.
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Stop 12: Cascade Locks
Distance from Previous Site: 5 miles / 8.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 7 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 5 minutes Cascade Locks is named for the series of locks built near it in 1896 and is a friendly community that has everything you'll need. As you drive through town, be sure to get a good look at the famous Bridge of the Gods.
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Stop 13: Hood River
Directions from previous place: From Hood River, take Interstate 84 eastbound to exit 69, into Mosier. Continue on the Historic Columbia River Highway to Discovery Drive, access to the Gorge Discovery Center.
Distance from Previous Site: 20 miles / 32.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 25 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Hood River is known as the 'windsurfing capital of the world,' but the fishing, hiking, and skiing are also excellent. This town, named after both Mt. Hood and the Hood River, is also one of Oregon's major apple-growing areas. As you drive through, you will be treated to fantastic views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood.
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Stop 14: Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Museum
Distance from Previous Site: 22 miles / 35.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 30 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour Plan to spend at least an hour here. The complex actually consists of two museums, the Gorge Discovery Center, official interpretive center for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and the Wasco County Museum, which preserves and shares more than 10,000 years of colorful history for a county that was once the largest in the nation. Together they provide interactive exhibits, living history exhibits and movies about the human and natural history of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and Wasco County.
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Stop 15: The Dalles
Directions from previous place: From The Dalles, cross the Columbia River on US 197 to westbound Washington State Route 14.
Distance from Previous Site: 5 miles / 8.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 6 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 10 minutes When you are finished at the Discovery Center, you will continue down the Highway to The Dalles, the largest city in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Much of the town's past remains in its 19th-century churches and homes which you can see as you drive through town to get on State Route 14.
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Stop 16: Skamania Lodge
Distance from Previous Site: 46 miles / 73.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 hour Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour From The Dalles you will travel State Route 14 west until you reach the Skamania Lodge and Conference Center just off exit 44. The Skamania Lodge hosts a US Forest Service Information Center in its lobby and from here you can also take the opportunity to wander through lovely scenery on three nearby walking trails.
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End: Portland
Distance from Previous Site: 48 miles / 76.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 hour From Skamania Lodge you can travel State Route 14 all the way back to Portland and the end of your journey.
