STEVENSON -- You need to look near and far to fully appreciate spring hiking in the Columbia River Gorge.
What grabs your eye immediately are the expansive textures of a precipitous chasm created millions of years ago by basaltic lava flows and burnished into its current form by epic glacial floods 9,000 to 12,000 years ago.
However, if you focus your vision near at hand, you'll also notice a variety of colors, say the rose-purple fairy-slipper blossoms of calypso orchids, or the showy yellow blooms of balsamroot.
By Greg Johnston | May 11, 2006
Short Trips
I've visited the Columbia River Gorge several times but never managed to tour what many tourists have touted over the years as the most scenic part of this geologic wonder. That would be the stretch on the Oregon side beginning at Cascade Locks (near the Bonneville Lock and Dam) and ending at Crown Point (Vista House) on the historic, narrow, winding Columbia River Highway.
By Jeff Larsen | April 13, 2006
Short Trips
STEVENSON -- When it comes to the state's popular tourist destinations, Stevenson is hardly mentioned. I would venture that three out of four Washingtonians probably have never even heard of the small Skamania County town in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Wind surfers who frequent that part of the gorge probably know it slightly better.
By Jeff Larsen | February 16, 2006
Short Trips
About as far south in Central Washington as you can get, Goldendale is not exactly what I would call the perfect tourist destination. During summer this part of the state is hot, dusty and mostly agricultural, with no resorts or even a major motel/hotel. Winters are harsh at best.
Regardless, Goldendale does have its claim to fame -- an observatory, featuring one of the nation's largest public telescopes. Turns out it's also one of the most popular tourist draws in the region.
By Jeff Larsen | August 11, 2005
Short Trips
Naturally my first questions to Cave B Inn owners Dr. Vince Bryan and his wife, Carol, during my visit last month were: What is Cave B? Is there a Cave A? Is there a Cave C and so on? Are caves even involved in their resort project, or is it just a provocative tease?
Mysteriously, Bryan, a prominent Seattle neurosurgeon and co-founder -- along with Carol -- of The Gorge Amphitheater back in 1985, told me "Cave B is whatever you want it to be."
By Jeff Larsen | July 21, 2005
In all my painting trips this year, I have not found an area to rival the Columbia River Gorge for demonstrating Washington state's wild diversity. In about an hour's drive through the gorge my brush moved across my palette from the blue green of fir-shrouded slopes to rich ochre mesas toasting in the sun.
By Paul Schmid | October 8, 2004
RIDGEFIELD, Wash. -- So many sights and sounds here in avian paradise on the lower Columbia River almost give a birder sensory overload.
Wave after wave of honking and squawking Canada geese fly overhead in V formations under billowing clouds. Out ahead in a pond, ruddy ducks and cinnamon teal dabble among masses of yet more waterfowl, a ray of sunlight burnishing their rich, rusty hues.
By Greg Johnston | May 6, 2004
Hike of the Week
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, established in 1986, is famed for its waterfalls, and wildflower enthusiasts are drawn by the hundreds of species that grow there. For me, the hiking season feels incomplete without a visit to the gorge.
Wahclella Falls is on the Oregon side and much too long a drive for a short hike if you live in Seattle. Better is to plan a weekend; then the long drive is a scenic pleasure and you can include other hikes and points of interest, such as a visit to the Bonneville Dam Visitor Center (Exit 40, off Interstate 84).
By Karen Sykes | April 22, 2004
Planning a trip along the Lewis and Clark Trail takes a bit of homework. Here are some organizations that can help.
Get overall information and trail maps from the National Park Service, which administers the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (spanning 11 states, including Washington and Oregon), 1709 Jackson St., Omaha, Neb., 68102 (402-661-1804 or see www.nps.gov/lecl/) The Web site has extensive links to parks and interpretive centers along the route.
April 2, 2004
