On their 1805 journey to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis & Clark traveled along the Columbia River Gorge. The explorers sailed past waterfalls and high canyons. Today, travelers can drive along the gorge on a combination of the Historic Columbia River Highway and I-84 from Portland to the Dalles.
In 1913, construction began on the 74-mile scenic highway to offer tourists a glimpse of the gorge’s natural beauty. Considered an engineering feat at its time, it was the first paved highway in the Pacific Northwest and the first planned US scenic highway.
Since we came from Mt. Hood, we started our journey along the Columbia River Gorge in Hood River before heading east to Portland.
Columbia Gorge Hotel – Hood River
We made reservations at the Columbia Gorge Hotel. Built by Simon Benson, the philanthropist who gave much of his land, including Multnomah Falls, to the government for the scenic highway’s construction, the hotel sits on the cliffs near the Wah Gwin Gwin Falls.
With its stucco walls and red, Meditteranean tile roof, the three-story hotel hosted the Vanderbilts, the Roosevelts, the Coolidges as well as Hollywood stars Clara Bow and Rudolf Valentino in its 1920s heydey. The meticulously landscaped grounds offered paths winding through gardens perfect for weddings and parties.
After the Depression, the hotel served as a retirement home. Thankfully, investors bought and restored the hotel in 1977.
The highlight, however, is the hotel’s backyard – the Columbia River Gorge itself.
With stone-walled paths and several cozy sitting areas, we spent most of our time here: from reading the newspaper, drinking coffee and taking family pictures. Believe me when I say I could have spent an entire week at that spot.
Beacon Rock State Park, WA
We wanted to do some hiking but unfortunately, the Eagle Creek Fire of 2017 destroyed 50,000 acres and closed many trails. The staff at the hotel recommended crossing over to Washington at Cascade Locks and hiking at Beacon Rock State Park instead.
Before crossing over the Columbia River, Beacon Rock stood proudly erect. I could see why William Clark noted the rock in his journal dated October 1805 and again in April 1806. Although I knew we were headed there to hike, I couldn’t imagine we’d get to the top – but we did!
First, however, we paid the toll for the Bridge of the Gods leading to Washington and passed by the Bonneville Dam. It felt surreal seeing modern concrete amidst the scenic and natural landscape. There is still an ongoing battle because the dam, built in the 1930s, flooded Native American fishing sites and reduced the salmon population.
At Beacon Rock, the trail to the top is only one mile — but it is all uphill. Numerous switchbacks led us 848 feet to the top rewarding us with astounding views of the river and Oregon (see cover picture at the beginning of this post.)
Multnomah Falls
Crossing back into Oregon, we drove along the Historic Columbia River Highway to Multnomah Falls. It turned out everyone wanted to see Oregon’s largest falls that day. It was crowded – even on this mid-week day.
While DH and Thing 1 stayed in the car looking for a parking spot, Thing 2 and I jumped out of the car and walked the path to the Benson footbridge. Feeling the water’s spray, crossing the bridge took time as throngs of tourists stopped for pictures. On the other side, crowds thinned and we got better views of the double falls.
Deciding we’d had enough, we went back to the car where DH was still looking for a parking place. Don’t get me wrong – the falls are spectacular. But, I recommend visiting earlier in the morning even on weekdays.
Bridal Veil Falls
Looking for a waterfall hike that wasn’t super crowded, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls – a pleasant surprise.
The total trail was about a mile. As we descended into a lush forest of trees, we only saw a handful of people hiking – a welcome relief. Soon we heard the roar of the falls. At first, we came to a footbridge and saw water trickling down the rocks. Thankfully, we still continued along the path around a bend and up some stairs. From this vantage point, we saw the wide falls cascade down the rocks. Although not as large as nearby Multnomah, we enjoyed having space to be still, take in the surrounding beauty and listen to the water gush loudly. I’m so glad we didn’t miss this!
Crown Point Vista House
From Multnomah and the other waterfalls, the scenic highway climbed nearly 600 feet on “several figure-eight loops until we reached Crown Point summit.
During the highway’s construction, travel by car (primarily the Model-T) wasn’t comfortable. Tourists needed spots to get out, stretch their legs and get a refreshment. With this in mind, the highway’s designers constructed the Vista House at Crown Point in 1918.
The octagonal-shaped building offers unimpeded views of the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains. Inside, the marble interior gives the building an Art Deco feel. Stairs lead to the second-floor viewing deck. And to my surprise, another set of stairs led to a basement housing a coffee shop, restrooms and small museum detailing the highway’s history.
Our last stop before Portland was the Portland Women’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint. Due to fundraising efforts by its members, the women’s group purchased this land of the former Chanticleer Inn in 1956 and donated it to the state for preservation purposes. For many driving west from Portland, this is the first view of the Columbia River Gorge.
Portland
Alas, we reached our final destination of Portland. To be honest, we didn’t want to drive anywhere. We were tired on this last full day – we had traveled 13 days including a 7-day Alaskan cruise, two college visits, numerous hikes and wonderful scenery.
Instead, we explored the downtown area within walking distance from our hotel.
The first order of business was to get a snack. We walked over to Voodoo Doughnuts and feasted our eyes on the donuts including the Captain Crunch Cereal topped “Captain, Oh My Captain,” the Oreo-topped “Dirt” and the M&M-topped “Marshall Matters.” We finally decided on “Peanut Cake” and “Sprinkle Cake” before walking past Chinatown and the Riverfront.
Portland has so many things to see and do that it will be a trip unto itself for another time.