Historic Columbia River Highway
 

 

 



Historic Columbia River Highway

Welcome to my Website

One of my favorite things to do is to take a drive out the Historic Columbia River Highway up the Columbia River Gorge. As a scenic drive, the Historic Columbia River Highway cannot be beat. It is beautiful any time of year. I have probably driven it a thousand times and each time I see something new. It may be historic, but it never gets old.

Oneonta Tunnel Reopening

In August of 2006 daylight was seen through the Historic Columbia River Highway's Oneonta Tunnel for the first time since 1948. You can see the pictures of the newly cleared Oneonta Tunnnel here. Over the next two and a half years Oneonta Tunnel was restored to a very faithful reproduciton of it's early, but not earliest, appearance, with the wood lining that had been added in the 1920s to keep rocks from falling from the roof of the tunnel. Those pictures of the Oneonta Tunnel are here.

It's Spring in the Columbia River Gorge!

Spring is the best time to drive the Historic Columbia River Highway in the Columbia River Gorge. On the western section of the Historic Columbia River Highway between Troutdale and Dodson the waterfalls are at their maximum flow and there are many seasonal waterfalls that appear only in spring. You can enjoy the beautiful wildflowers that bloom from April to June on a relaxing hike.

On the Eastern sections of the Historic Columbia River Highway between Hood River and The Dalles the hillsides are covered with green. Enjoy the green now, because in a couple of short months those hillsides will be brown as temperatures rise and the eastern part of the Columbia River Gorge along the Columbia River Highway dies out. Spring is an ideal time to hike the trails along the eastern section of the Historic Columbia River Highway. It's a little chilly, but the beautiful wildflowers are out and it's better than hiking in the sweltering summer heat.

If you're hiking, treat yourself to a "sick day" and go during the middle of the week. There are no crowds.

WARNING:

If you take your dog(s) hiking, as I do, PLEASE KEEP THEM ON A LEASH! It's more than simple courtesy, it's the safest thing for your dog. Last fall an unleashed dog fell 100 feet off Angel's Rest. It took emergency responders six hours to rescue the dog. The dog was taken to Dove Lewis animal hospital where the owner found out that the Dove Lewis claim that they never refuse treatment to an animal really means that if you haven't got the thousands of dollars they demand up front for treatment, your dog will be put down.

 

The Good Stuff:

Plan a drive along the Historic Columbia River Highway this weekend with this map of the Highway from Corbett to Dodson.

Historic Columbia River Highway Map (Corbett to Dodson)
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

For a longer drive, try the Mount Hood Scenic Loop.

Mount Hood Scenic Loop Map
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Cool off with a Columbia River Gorge hike through the rainforest this weekend

Hiking Trails in the Columbia River Gorge

Multnomah Falls Areas Hiking Map
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Make a weekend of it and camp out in one of the many campsites along the Historic Columbia River Highway or in the Columbia River Gorge.

 

Camping in the Columbia River Gorge

 

Check out the new additions to the History section under the About menu:

Highway Bridges
Shepperd's Dell Bridge
Benson (Multnomah Falls) Footbridge
Multnomah Falls Lodge
Oneonta Tunnel
Latourell Creek Bridge
Sandy River Bridge
Stark Street Bridge

Recreational opportunities abound along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Hiking, biking, sailing, windsurfing, fishing, photography...the list is virtually endless.

There are also many fine museums, shops, restaurants and lodgings along the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Slowly but surely (well, slowly anyway) I'll be adding information on the Historic Columbia River Highway, the Columbia River Gorge and activities associated with them to this site.

A few years ago I bought a set of 1920's vintage Columbia River Highway (it wasn't yet historic) Postcards on eBay. Little did I know the enormous piles of Postcards, books, maps, brochures, ephemera and artwork that one set of Postcards would grow into. You can see some of this stuff in the Historic Columbia River Highway Postcards and Historic Columbia River Highway Ephemera areas. I'll be adding more from my collection as time and initiative permit.

If you have a suggestion to improve the site you can email me here.

 

About the Historic Columbia River Highway

History

History of the Columbia River Highway
Geologic History of the Columbia River Gorge

Historic Columbia River Highway Photos

Historic Columbia River Highway Postcards

Historic Columbia River Highway Ephemera

Historic Columbia River Highway Links