Columbia River Gorge Road - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 82

2. Beacon Rock
DescribedbyLewisandClarkasa“remarkable,highdetachedrock,”thisenormousmono-
lith—nearly 850 feet tall and second only to Gibraltar in size—is the core of a vanished
volcano. Climb the steep, zigzagging trail to the top, and you'll be rewarded with views
of the gorge and its cliffs, the islands dotting the Columbia River, Oregon's Mt. Hood,
and the snow-covered cone of Washington's Mt. Adams. Across the road are the trails and
campgrounds of Beacon Rock State Park, a 4,500-acre sanctuary where woodpeckers and
thrushes punctuate the stillness in extensive stands of Douglas firs, incense cedars, red
alders, and western hemlocks.
3. Bonneville Dam
This huge dam, built in the 1930s, created a 48-mile-long lake on the Columbia River. Vis-
itors who stop in at the Northshore visitor center can get a look at a massive, humming
hydroelectric generator that is as big as a house. Fish ladders and underwater fish-viewing
windows permit close-up glimpses of migrating salmon swimming up the river to spawn,
and exhibits that display local Indian artifacts, Lewis and Clark memorabilia, and the his-
tory of the dam.
4. Stevenson
Early rivermen used to stop at this lumbering town to load the cordwood that fueled their
steamships. You can recall the flavor of those days by taking a two-hour cruise on a
600-passenger stern-wheeler. You can also visit the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center,
where models of early steamships are on display, along with relics of frontier life and ex-
hibits that highlight the geological features of the gorge. Nearby Rock Creek Park is a
pleasant spot for viewing the gorge and mountains.
5. Home Valley Park
Looking east from the park at Home Valley, campers and picnickers can see an imposing
pair of mountains—Wind Mountain in Washington and Shellrock Mountain in Ore-
gon—known locally as the Guardians of the Gorge. Fishermen launch their boats here to
angle for salmon and trout, and windsurfers take advantage of brisk breezes to skim over
whitecaps on the river.