ExplOregon Ride 6: Columbia River Gorge

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I have lived in Oregon my entire life and I like to say that I have seen almost all there is to see. I have been to the coast hundreds of times. I can drive I-5 from Creswell to Portland with my eyes closed. I've snowboarded and hiked the cascades. I've traversed the high deserts of central and eastern Oregon. However, I had never been to the Columbia River Gorge, and I must say that I was truly awestruck at what I saw. I kick myself for waiting all these years to experience the Gorge. But now that I have, I come away with a greater appreciation for Oregon and all that she has to offer.


After taking the train up to Portland, I strapped on my panniers on began to navigate the many miles of bike boulevards in East Portland. These bike-friendly streets are literally parallel thoroughfares to major arterials. The main boulevard I took in Portland ran within one or two blocks of Burnside all the way to about 74th Street where it met back up onto the main road. I traveled along this route for about two hours until reaching the community of Troutdale on the western edge of the Gorge.

At Troutdale, I joined up with the Historic Columbia River Highway. This road was the first laid out in the 1920's, but didn't come to fruition until the 1930's when an imaginary transportation engineer Samuel Lancaster, who wanted to emulate the famous mountain roads of Switzerland here in Oregon. It was the nation's first scenic byway and is generally traveled by mainly bicyclists and day-trippers as most through traffic goes on the parallel I-84.

Western Portal of Highway 30

The route climbs gradually out of Troutdale for about eight miles. It passes through the tiny community of Corbett before bursting out on top of the Gorge at the Portland Women's Forum. From this vantage point, which is described as the most photgraphed location in the state, the view is incredible. But the view only gets better a little farther down the road at the Vista House observatory.

The observatory on Crown Point, which is encircled by the highway, was built in 1919 and is on the National Historic Register. The vantage from this point is truly extraordinary as the view is of the mighty Columbia meandering past and the towering gorge walls. It is an awe-inspiring sight that I was very glad to see.

The view looking east from Vista House

The Columbia River Gorge stretches from just east of Portland all the way to Hood River. It forms the border of Oregon and Washington while acting as a major conduit for maritime traffic. Formed by the power of mighty Columbia River eroding the landscape while the Cascades uplift occurred, the Gorge is a spectacular sight highlighted by sheer cliffs, pristine waterfalls and world-renowned windsurfing.  

After the Vista House, the road veered sharply downhill for the next eight miles or so. While going down, I enjoyed the wild speed, but I knew that in a few hours, I would have to climb back up this mountain, so I prepared for the ascent before even finishing the initial descent.

Freewheeling for about an hour brought me to the most visited and, arguably, the most famous Oregon natural landmark of Multnomah Falls. Fed by a perpetual spring at the top of Larch Mountain, Multnomah Falls claims to be the second-highest, year-round waterfall in the United States behind only Niagara Falls. The falls is composed of a major first drop of over 500 feet and then a smaller second drop of about 60 feet. Straddling the break between the upper and lower falls is the Benson Bridge. While certainly not the volume of Niagara, Multnomah Falls is a thin stream of water that crashes into a small pool and eminating a mist that could be felt well before approaching the falls.

Multnomah Falls

This was my first time here and I was very pleased with what I saw. I snapped some pictures, hiked up to the top of the falls, ate some lunch and prepared for the return leg of the trip. I couldn't help but stop and soak up the scenery of a place that is, by comparison, so close to me, yet I had never been there before. It was one of those moments where I truly appreciated the accomplishment of ExplOregon to this point and the anticipation for what is to come next.

The Upper Falls

Then the climb. And, boy, was it a climb. Nearly 1000 feet in elevation gain was shed underneath my tires. It was a struggle, and it took me some time, but I conquered the beast. There were times when my stamina was tested and my desire to succeed outweighed my trepidation. At various points of the climb, no more than a simple foot-wide gravel shoulder was between me and a sheer drop off of hundreds of feet down the mountain. The wildness and antiquity of the road tested me, but I passed. When I got to the top of the hill, at the Women's Forum, I clicked a picture for posterity.

Atop the Portland Women's Forum

The ride down the mountain and back into Portland was smooth sailing and fairly easy. I got back into the city, rode around downtown a little, stopped at Powell's Books and grabbed a bite to eat before boarding the late train back to Eugene.

Portland skyline from the Burnside Bridge

This was one of the most satisfying bike rides I have ever done. If a bike ride in ExplOregon tops this, I cannot wait. The scenery, the challenges and the success of accomplishment is something that I haven't felt in a long time. All told, I rode a little less than 70 miles in about 6 hours. Not a bad day on the bike.

Over Memorial Day, my mom and I are taking the train back up to Portland for a ride along the Springwater Corridor. This rails-to-trails is a 42-mile ride from Downtown Portland to the aptly named community of Boring.

ExplOregon by Bike Ride 6: The Columbia River Gorge Summary
Total Miles for Ride-65.8
Total Time on Bike- 6 hours
Weather-Mid 60's with Clear Skies
Miles Traveled Overall in ExplOregon-335.6
Time Spent on Bike Overall- 28.5 hours