Columbia River Gorge in Oregon - Travel Oregon. Friends of the Columbia Gorge : The Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River Gorge The view eastward from Cape Horn.Photo ©J. Holloway The Columbia River Gorge is like no place on earth. The Gorge is a spectacular river canyon 85 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep. Carved by volcanic eruptions and Ice Age floods over millions of years, the Gorge is the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountains. This wild and beautiful place has also served as a human corridor for tens of thousands of years, and was explored by Lewis and Clark and traversed by thousands of Oregon Trail pioneers. In 2010, National Geographic Traveler magazine rated the Columbia Gorge the world's sixth-best sustainable tourism destination, a reflection of not only the Gorge's natural beauty and numerous recreation options, but also how it has weathered the pressures of development, mass tourism, and other threats.
The Gorge is also host to a unique diversity of plant and animal life, including over 800 species of wildflowers, 15 of which exist nowhere else on earth. Oregon Parks and Recreation. Find a Park Parks with Campgrounds Parks for Day Use only Map data ©2014 Google Terms of Use Report a map error Map Satellite 196 parks match your criteria. Columbia River Gorge Hikes - Hiking in Portland, Oregon and Washington. Columbia River Gorge - Hood River - Reviews of Columbia River Gorge.
Waterfalls of Oregon - Columbia River Gorge Regional Map. Columbia River Gorge. Description[edit] 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).
History[edit] The gorge has supported human habitation for over 13,000 years. Gallery[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] Coordinates: Columbia River Gorge Visitors Association. Historic Columbia River Highway. Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Home/