The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,300 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over 80 miles (130 km) as the river winds from westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. The Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area is located in both states. The gorge is the only water connection between the Columbia River Plateau and the Pacific Ocean. 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. Shipping was greatly simplified after Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Dam submerged the gorge's major rapids. In 1805, the route was used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition to reach the Pacific. The gorge today holds federally protected status as a National Scenic Area and is a popular recreational destination.
Contents |
Description and history
Over the eons, the Columbia River has worn a deep gash into the volcanic rock of the Cascades, nearly down to sea level. The last major erosion occurred during the Missoula Floods during the ice age approximately 13,000 years ago. The most recent geological event was the Bonneville Slide in the 1700s, an event remembered in the local legends of the Native Americans as the Bridge of the Gods. Frequent rain nourishes a lush rain forest and replenishes the waters that cascade over the sheer basalt cliffs. The western gorge is dominated by conifers, Bigleaf Maple, Cottonwood, Oregon Ash, and Vine Maple. The eastern gorge is home to Bigleaf Maple and Garry Oak. The wide range of elevation and precipitation in the gorge creates a diverse collection of ecosystems from the temperate rain forest at Oneonta Gorge (with an average annual precipitation of 75 inches [1,900 mm]) to the Celilo grasslands (with average annual precipitation 12 inches [300 mm]). A large variety of endemic wildflowers thrives throughout the gorge. 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 ideal salmon-fishing site for more than 10,000 years. In addition to its natural beauty, the gorge also provides a critical transportation corridor and one of the most popular recreational locations in the Pacific Northwest. 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 one of the finest and best-known windsurfing and kiteboarding locations in the world. The hatchery, located on the Washington side of the river near Hood River is one of the most popular places to windsurf. The gorge also contains the greatest concentration of waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest, with over 77 waterfalls on the Oregon side of the gorge alone. Many are along the Columbia River Highway, including the notable Multnomah Falls, which, at 620 feet (188 m), is often claimed (erroneously[1]) to be the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. In November 1986, Congress recognized the unique beauty of the gorge by making it first U.S. National Scenic Area and establishing the Columbia River Gorge Commission as part of an interstate compact.
See also
- Lolo Pass (Oregon), an early alternative to the Gorge for pioneers traveling to the Willamette Valley
- Barlow Road, the first wagon-compatible pioneer road to provide a safer alternative to traveling through the gorge
- Cascades Rapids
References
External links
- Gorge Friends.org - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act
- U.S. Forest Service - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
- Columbia River Gorge Commission
- The Seattle Times' Pacific NW magazine - "Trailing an Apocalypse" - 30 September 2007
- Rau, Weldon W. (Winter 2001-02). "The Columbia River Gorge and Early Emigrant Travel: Through the Magnificent Gateway". Columbia magazine 15 (4).
|
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Provinces & states traversed |
British Columbia · Washington · Oregon |
Construction of The Dalles Dam would flood Celilo Falls in 1957.
|
| Lists | Cities · Crossings · Dams · Tributaries | |
| Geology | Geology of the Pacific Northwest · Columbia River Basalt Group · Columbia River Gorge · Missoula Floods · Bonneville Slide · Bridge of the Gods (geologic event) · 1700 Cascadia earthquake · 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens | |
| History | Celilo Falls · Robert Gray exploration · Lewis and Clark Expedition · David Thompson · Astor Expedition · Fort Vancouver · Steamboats of the Columbia River · Columbia River Treaty · Columbia Basin Project · Bonneville Power Administration · Hanford Site · Sohappy v. Smith · Boldt Decision | |
| Ecology & culture | Pacific salmon · Woody Guthrie · Confluence Project | |
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Glacial Lake Missoula · Missoula Floods · Channeled scablands · Grand Coulee · Dry Falls · Drumheller Channels · Columbia River Plateau · Wallula Gap · Touchet Formation · Lake Lewis · Columbia River Gorge · Columbia River Basalt Group · Palouse Falls · Sims Corner Eskers and Kames · Moses Coulee · Withrow Moraine · Crab Creek · Corfu Slide |
 |
|
|
|
|---|---|
| National Park System |
National Parks: Crater Lake |
| Wildernesses |
Badger Creek • Black Canyon • Boulder Creek • Bridge Creek • Bull of the Woods • Cummins Creek • Diamond Peak • Drift Creek • Eagle Cap • Gearhart Mountain • Grassy Knob • Hells Canyon • Kalmiopsis • Mark O. Hatfield • Menagerie • Middle Santiam • Mill Creek • Monument Rock • Mount Hood • Mount Jefferson • Mount Thielsen • Mount Washington • Mountain Lakes • North Fork John Day • North Fork Umatilla • Opal Creek • Oregon Islands • Red Buttes • Rock Creek • Rogue-Umpqua Divide • Salmon-Huckleberry • Sky Lakes • Steens Mountain • Strawberry Mountain • Table Rock • Three Arch Rocks • Three Sisters • Waldo Lake • Wenaha-Tucannon • Wild Rogue |
| State Parks |
State Parks: Ainsworth • Alfred A. Loeb • Beverly Beach • Bob Straub • Bullards Beach • Cape Arago • Cape Blanco • Cape Lookout • Carl G. Washburne Memorial • Cascadia • Catherine Creek • Collier Memorial • Ecola • Elijah Bristow • Fort Stevens • Guy W. Talbot • Harris Beach • Hat Rock • Hilgard Junction • Humbug Mountain • Illinois River Forks • Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial • L. L. "Stub" Stewart Memorial • Lake Owyhee • LaPine • Mayer • Memaloose • Milo McIver • Molalla River • Nehalem Bay • Ona Beach • Oswald West • Port Orford Heads • Prineville Reservoir • Rooster Rock • Shore Acres • Silver Falls • Smith Rock • South Beach • Starvation Creek • Sunset Bay • The Cove Palisades • Tumalo • Umpqua Lighthouse • Valley of the Rogue • Viento • Wallowa Lake • White River Falls • Willamette Mission • William M. Tugman State Natural Areas and Sites: Bandon • Cape Kiwanda • Clay Myers/Whalen Island • Coquille Myrtle Grove • Darlingtonia • Devils Punch Bowl • Erratic Rock • Fort Rock • George W. Joseph • Golden and Silver Falls • Munson Creek • Saddle Mountain • Seneca Fouts • Shepperd's Dell • Succor Creek • Tokatee Klootchman • Tryon Creek • Vinzenz Lausmann Memorial • Wygant • Yachats Ocean Road State Heritage Areas and Sites: Champoeg • Emigrant Springs • Fort Yamhill • Frenchglen Hotel • Geisel Monument • Kam Wah Chung • Sumpter Valley Dredge • Willamette Stone • Wolf Creek Inn State Scenic Corridors and Viewpoints: Bald Peak • Battle Mountain Forest • Blue Mountain Forest • Boiler Bay • Bolon Island Tideways • Booth • Bradley • Bridal Veil Falls • Cape Meares • Cape Sebastian • Cline Falls • Crown Point • Face Rock • H.B. Van Duzer Forest • Heceta Head Lighthouse • John B. Yeon • Muriel O. Ponsler Memorial • Neptune • Ochoco • Otter Crest • Peter Skene Ogden • Pilot Butte • Pistol River • Portland Women's Forum • Prospect • Rocky Creek • Samuel H. Boardman • Ukiah-Dale Forest • Umpqua • Unity Forest • Wallowa Lake Highway Forest State Trails: Banks-Vernonia • Historic Columbia River Highway • OC&E Woods Line State Recreation Areas and Sites: Agate Beach • Arcadia Beach • Beachside • Benson • Bonnie Lure • Casey • Clyde Holliday • Crissey Field • D River • Dabney • Del Rey Beach • Deschutes River • Detroit Lake • Devils Lake • Dexter • Driftwood Beach • Fall Creek • Farewell Bend • Fogarty Creek • Gleneden Beach • Goose Lake • Government Island • Governor Patterson Memorial • Hug Point • Jackson F. Kimball • Jasper • Joseph H. Stewart • Koberg Beach • Lewis and Clark • Lost Creek • Lowell • Manhattan Beach • Mary S. Young • Maud Williamson • McVay Rock • Minam • Neskowin Beach • North Santiam • Oceanside Beach • Ontario • Otter Point • Paradise Point • Roads End • Sarah Helmick • Seal Rock • Seven Devils • Smelt Sands • Stonefield Beach • Sunset Beach • Tolovana Beach • TouVelle • Unity Lake • W. B. Nelson • Warm Springs • Winchuck • Yachats • Yaquina Bay State Waysides: Alderwood • Chandler • Ellmaker • Hoffman Memorial • Holman • Red Bridge • Tub Springs • Washburne Other: Alsea Bay Historic Interpretive Center • Fort Rock Cave • Whale Watching Center |
| National Forest System |
National Forests: Deschutes • Fremont-Winema • Malheur • Mount Hood • Ochoco • Rogue River-Siskiyou • Siuslaw • Umatilla • Umpqua • Wallowa-Whitman • Willamette |
| State Forests |
Clatsop • Elliott • Santiam • Sun Pass • Tillamook |
| National Wildlife Refuge System |
Ankeny • Bandon Marsh • Baskett Slough • Bear Valley • Cape Meares • Cold Springs • Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge • Klamath Marsh • Lower Klamath • Malheur • McKay Creek • Nestucca Bay • Oregon Islands • Siletz Bay • Three Arch Rocks • Tualatin River • Umatilla • Upper Klamath • William L. Finley |
| State Wildlife Areas |
Bridge Creek • Dean Creek • Denman • E.E. Wilson • Elkhorn • Fern Ridge • Irrigon • Jewell Meadows • Klamath • Ladd Marsh • Lower Deschutes • Phillip W. Schneider • Prineville • Riverside • Sauvie Island • Snake River Islands • Summer Lake • Wenaha • White River • Willow Creek |
| National Landscape Conservation System |
|
| Others | |
| Heritage registers: National Register of Historic Places • National Historic Landmarks • National Natural Landmarks • World Network of Biosphere Reserves | |
