Columbia River Gorge
Protected Area
Looking east up the Columbia River Gorge from Crown Point.
Official name: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Country	United States
States	Oregon, Washington
Region	Pacific Northwest
Founded	1986
Website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/

The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over 80 miles (130 km) as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River down to eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the gorge furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia River Plateau and the Pacific Ocean.

The gorge holds federally protected status as a National Scenic Area called the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and is managed by the Columbia River Gorge Commission and the US Forest Service. The gorge is a popular recreational destination.

Description [edit]

The Columbia River cuts the only sea-level passageway through the Cascade Mountain Range here between the Deschutes River and the Sandy River, also marking the state lines between Oregon and Washington. The wide range of elevation and precipitation makes the Columbia River Gorge an extremely diverse and dynamic place. Ranging from 4,000 feet (1,200 m) to sea level, and transitioning from 100 inches (2,500 mm) of precipitation to only 10 inches (250 mm) in 80 miles (130 km), the Gorge creates a diverse collection of ecosystems from the temperate rain forest on the western end—with an average annual precipitation of 75 to 100 inches (1,900 to 2,500 mm)—to the eastern grasslands with average annual precipitation between 10 and 15 inches (250 and 380 mm), to a transitional dry woodland between Hood River and The Dalles.^{[citation needed]} Isolated micro-habitats have allowed for many species of endemic plants and animals to prosper, including at least 13 endemic wildflowers.

The Gorge transitions between temperate rainforest to dry grasslands in only 80 miles, hosting a dramatic change in scenery while driving down I-84. In the western, temperate rainforest areas, forests are marked by Bigleaf Maples, Douglas Fir, and Western Hemlock, all covered in epiphytes. In the transition zone (between Hood River and the Dalles), vegetation turns to Oregon White Oak, Ponderosa Pine, and Cottonwood. Then on the eastern end the forests make way for expansive grasslands, with occasional pockets of Lodgepole and Ponderosa Pine.

Atmospheric pressure differentials east and west of the Cascades create a wind tunnel effect in the deep cut of the gorge, generating 35 mph (56 km/h) winds that make it a popular windsurfing and kitesurfing location.

The Gorge is a popular destination for hiking, biking, sight-seeing, fishing, and watersports. The area is known for its high concentration of waterfalls, with over 90 on the Oregon side of the Gorge alone.^[1] Many are along the Historic Columbia River Highway, including the notable 620-foot (190 m)-high Multnomah Falls.

Trails and day use sites are maintained by the Forest Service and many Oregon and Washington state parks.

Geology [edit]

The Columbia River Gorge began forming as far back as the Miocene, (roughly 17 to 12 million years ago), and continued to take shape through the Pleistocene, (2 million to 700,000 years ago). During this period the Cascades Range was forming, which slowly moved the Columbia River's delta about 100 miles (160 km) north to its current location.^[2]

Although the river slowly eroded the land over this period of time, the most drastic changes took place at the end of the last Ice Age when the Missoula Floods cut the steep, dramatic walls that exist today, flooding the river as high up as Crown Point.^[3] This quick erosion left many layers of volcanic rock exposed.^[2]

A view of the Columbia River Gorge from near the top of Mt. Hamilton, looking south from the Washington state side of the gorge. On the far left side of the image, the Bonneville Dam is visible. On the left-center is the small town of North Bonneville. Behind the hills in the center of the image, the peak of Mt. Hood is just barely visible. The large rock at the river's edge on the right side is Beacon Rock. To get an idea of the scale of the image, Beacon Rock is 848 feet (258 m) tall.

History [edit]

The gorge has supported human habitation for over 13,000 years. Evidence of the Folsom and Marmes people, who crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia, were found in archaeological digs. Excavations near Celilo Falls, a few miles east of The Dalles, show humans have occupied this salmon-fishing site for more than 10,000 years.^{[citation needed]}

The gorge has provided a transportation corridor for thousands of years. American Indians would travel through the Gorge to trade at Celilo Falls, both along the river and over Lolo Pass on the north side of Mount Hood. In 1805, the route was used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition to reach the Pacific.^[4] Early European and American settlers subsequently established steamboat lines and railroads through the gorge. Today, the BNSF Railway runs freights along the Washington side of the river, while its rival, the Union Pacific Railroad, runs freights along the Oregon shore. Until 1997, Amtrak's Pioneer also used the Union Pacific tracks. The Portland segment of the Empire Builder uses the BNSF tracks that pass through the gorge.

The Columbia River Highway, built in the early 20th century, was the first major paved highway in the Pacific Northwest. Shipping was greatly simplified after Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Dam submerged the gorge's major rapids.

In November 1986, Congress made it the second U.S. National Scenic Area and established the Columbia River Gorge Commission as part of an interstate compact.^[5] In 2004, the gorge became the namesake of the Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area, a 4,432-acre (1,794 ha) area located on both sides of the river.

Gallery [edit]

• 

  Crown Point in the Columbia River Gorge, looking upstream from Chanticleer Point.

• 

  Columbia River Gorge, photographed from the southern edge of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

• 

  The view east towards The Dalles from Dog Mountain.

• 

  Native Indian petroglyphs in the Columbia River Gorge near The Dalles Dam.

• 

  Kitesurfing on the Columbia River.

• 

  View of Columbia River Gorge from Cape Horn Trail, looking east toward Beacon Rock.

• 

  Columbia River Gorge, photographed from Crown point.

• 

  Triple Falls

• 

  Oneonta Creek

• 

  Horsethief Butte, near The Dalles.

See also [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Columbia River Gorge

• Barlow Road, the first wagon-compatible pioneer road to provide a safer alternative to traveling through the gorge
• Cascades Rapids
• Columbia Gorge casino, a proposed off-reservation casino in Cascade Locks
• Wahclella Falls

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• U.S. Forest Service - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
• Columbia River Gorge Commission
• Columbia Gorge Magazine
• Abbott, Carl. Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area in the Oregon Encyclopedia
• Portland State University Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Collection -- contains research material used to write the book Planning a New West: The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
• The River They Saw Documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting
• Columbia Gorge: The Fight for Paradise Documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting

v t e Columbia River Provinces and states traversed British Columbia Washington Oregon Lists Cities Crossings Dams Rapids Tributaries Geology and Geography Geology of the Pacific Northwest Columbia River Basalt Group Columbia River Gorge Missoula Floods Bonneville Slide/Bridge of the Gods land bridge 1700 Cascadia earthquake 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens Columbia Mountains History Celilo Falls Kettle Falls Dalles des Morts Robert Gray exploration Lewis and Clark Expedition David Thompson Astor Expedition Fort Vancouver Steamboats of the Columbia River Big Bend Gold Rush Steamboats of the Arrow Lakes Steamboats of the upper Columbia and Kootenay Rivers Columbia River Treaty Historic Columbia River Highway Columbia Basin Project Bonneville Power Administration Hanford Site Sohappy v. Smith Boldt Decision Vanport flood of 1948 Ecology and culture Pacific salmon Woody Guthrie Confluence Project

v t e Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail in the Pacific Northwest Ice Age Glacial Floods Missoula Floods Glacial Lakes Glacial Lake Missoula Glacial Lake Columbia Temporary Lakes Lake Lewis Lake Condon Lake Allison Ice Age Floods Glacial Residue Withrow Moraine Boulder Park Sims Corner Eskers and Kames Ice Age Floods Erosion & Deposition Features Moses Coulee Channeled Scablands Grand Coulee Dry Falls Drumheller Channels Crab Creek Corfu Slide Palouse Falls Touchet Formation Wallula Gap Columbia River Gorge Alameda Ridge Related contemporaneous events Bonneville Flood

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Coordinates: 45°42′17″N 121°47′30″W / 45.70472°N 121.79167°W / 45.70472; -121.79167