Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway - Washington
Bridge of the Gods, WA

The name "Bridge of the Gods" originates from a Native American legend. As the tale goes, two competing brothers were separated by the Columbia River. They were reconnected when the Great Spirit built the Bridge of the Gods across the river. When the two tribes began to fight, the Great Spirit destroyed the bridge. The rapids were created from the remnants of the collapsed bridge. The legend explains an actual landslide and the resulting Cascade rapids. Today, water from the Bonneville Dam covers the rapids, and an actual bridge, also named the "Bridge of the Gods," has been built to span the river in the same location. The bridge took six years to build and began in 1920. It is 1,858 feet long and 135 feet above the water.