GORGE(OUS) VIEWS – MAJESTY OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

Magnificent viewpoint near Nesika Lodge looking upstream towards Bonneville Dam.
Magnificent viewpoint near Nesika Lodge looking upstream towards Bonneville Dam. One of the many spectacular views to be found within the Columbia River Gorge.

The Columbia River Gorge is one of the natural highlights of the Pacific Northwest.  Only the Columbia River penetrates through the Cascade Mountain range and does so in a magnificent manner.  Long an important transportation corridor whether rail, old highways, new freeways, canoes or flatboats.  Waterfalls tend to bring the tourists to the Gorge along with the views of the immense canyon from spots like Crown Point on the Historic Columbia River Highway.  But trails take you to the top of many other vista points as magical as those at the Vista House.  Here are a few of my personal favorite Gorge views.  Maybe you have others.

In no particular order with regard to personal preference, I present them from west to east.

Continue reading

DOGGIN’ IT IN THE FLOWERS ATOP DOG MOUNTAIN

The next to last switchback before the summit of Dog Mountain is reached. Indian Point is the tall rocky point in the sunshine on the Oregon side to the right center with Wind Mountain further to the right on the Washington side of the river.

Ahh, Dog Mountain. This seven mile, 2800 vertical foot gain hike is one of the most popular in the Columbia River Gorge. I would guess it to be number three after Multnomah Falls and Angels Rest, both on the Oregon side easily accessed from the freeway I-84. Dog Mountain is on the Washington side in between the towns of Stevenson and White Salmon-Bingen with the trailhead right on Washington Highway 14. The hike is a workout, but the views over the eastern sections of the middle Gorge during the wildflower season of mid-spring are what brings the crowds out.

Continue reading

WIND MOUNTAIN, A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO THE DOG

Looking across the Columbia River at Wind Mountain from Indian Point on the Oregon side of the Gorge.

Driving to the large trailhead at the bottom of Dog Mountain, Washington Highway 14 drives right around the base of another smaller peak with its own form of drama, Wind Mountain. A beautiful cone-shaped peak, Wind has a brother, Shellrock Mountain, on the opposite side of the Columbia River in Oregon. Both mountains are thought to be from the same volcanic intrusion which needed to be cleaved in half by the Columbia River.  Unlike Shellrock, Wind Mountain has a trail to the top.

Continue reading