Columbia River Gorge Road - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 81

Drive 8
Columbia River Gorge Road
Paralleling the river traveled by the Lewis and Clark expedition on the last leg of
itsjourneytothePacificOcean,theColumbiaRiverRoadsnakesalongtheWash-
ington side of the river's awesome gorge.
Length: About 140 miles
When to go: Popular year-round
Nearby attractions: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver,
www.fortvan.org ; Pearson Air Museum, Vancouver, www.fortvan.org/pages/pearson-
air-museum ; Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery, Underwood, www.fws.gov/gorge-
fish/springcreek
Further information: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
www.crgva.org
1. Cape Horn Viewpoint
Overlooking a striking panorama at the western gateway to the Columbia River Gorge, the
viewpoint provides a fine introduction to the beauties of this breathtaking natural boundary
between Washington and Oregon. Hundreds of feet below, at the foot of massive vertical
cliffs, lies the river itself, and rising from the opposite bank are the steep wooded hills of
Oregon.
Did you know…
In 1986 President Ronald Reagan designated the entire length of the Columbia
River Gorge as a National Scenic Area. About 2 million people each year visit
the 292,500-acre federally designated area, which includes more than 1,000 his-
toric and archaeological sites.