Along the route Lewis and Clark pioneered on their trailblazing journey in 1805, the Columbia Gorge cuts through the Cascade mountain range which is made largely of volcanic (basalt) rock, leading to a number of spectacular cliffs. The bountiful presence of water on the west side of the Cascades leads to a number of very tall waterfalls which intersect the river. The key distinguisher of climate in the gorge is Wind. Wind speeds are often upwards of 30mph. This is because the gorge is a wind tunnel from the warm/dry east end to the cooler/damp west end. A large number of wind turbines have been installed on the ridges of both sides of the Gorge to take advantage of the power of the winds in this area.
The unique setting of the Gorge is partly due to repeated mass floodings at the end of the last ice age, when the collapse of ice dams near Missoula, Montana caused walls of water over 1000 feet high at the east end of the gorge, which were still over 2000 feet deep when they reached present-day Portland.
The region is included in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area which protects the scenic quality of the region by requiring most new development to occur inside of existing towns.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Columbia Gorge (Oregon)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Columbia Gorge (Oregon) - updated May 2024
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Columbia Gorge (Oregon) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
