“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” —Augustine of Hippo
Today was all about waterfalls, hiking and beautiful scenery. We started in Hood River and drove west to Portland exploring every scenic stop. Our first stop was the Bridge of the Gods. You can read about the legend of the bridge and the mountain peaks in the area at this link. From here we began our quest to find all the waterfalls along the river. The best hike of the day was to Oneonta Falls. To reach the falls you have to hike up the riverbed…at one spot we were up to our waist in very cold water. Well worth the effort. You can read this article if you'd like to find out more details of this wonderful and intriguing hike up the gorge.
Columbia River Facts: The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon on the Columbia River, which forms the boundary between Oregon and Washington. The canyon stretches over 80 miles and is up to 4,000 feet deep. The gorge is a National Scenic Area. In 1805, the route was used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition to reach the Pacific.
- Length of the Columbia River (7th longest in the US) -1243 miles
- Average width of river - 1 mile
- Average width of valley (Rim To Rim) - 3 miles
- Length of the gorge (Troutdale To The Dalles) - 75 miles
- Average height of the walls (South Side) - 1500-3000 feet
- Size of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - 295,000 acres
- Length of The National Scenic Area - 85 miles
- Number of gorge waterfalls - 75
- Wildflowers - 800 species
- Wildflowers only found in the gorge – 13
- Endangered species in the gorge - 24
- Number of hiking trails in The National Scenic Area - 54
Early morning view over the Columbia River
Oneonta Falls - the beginning of the trail
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