Columbia River Gorge:
Waterfall city
Lush rain forest
and waterfalls
The gorge began forming in the
Miocene Era, roughly 12 to 17 million
years ago, and continued developing
through the Pleistocene, 700,000 to 2
million years ago. During this episode
the Cascades Range formed, which slowly
pushed the Columbia River's delta about
100 miles (160 km) north to its current
location. Although the river slowly
eroded the land over this time, the most
drastic changes took place at the end of
the last Ice Age when the Missoula
Floods cut the steep and dramatic walls
of the gorge.
Today massive waterfalls and lush
rain forest will embrace you at the
Columbia River Gorge. They are not the
biggest cascades in the world: that
honor falls to Southern Africa's
Victoria Falls with Brazil and
Argentina's Iguassu Falls coming a close
second. Nor are they the most celebrated
falls in the USA: that honor goes to the
Niagara Falls. However, for sheer beauty
and accessibility the water falls at the
Columbia River Gorge are right up there.
Most of the cascades at the Columbia
River Gorge are accessible via hiking.
It is spectacular walking through lush
green rain forest. There are hikes for
everyone there. From short flat meanders
to steep long climbs to the top of the
falling water sources.
Here is a list of the waterfalls at
the Columbia River Gorge:
Bridal Veil Falls,
Dutchman Falls,
Elowah Falls,
Fairy Falls,
Gorton Creek Falls,
Hole In The Wall Falls,
Horsetail Falls,
Lancaster Falls,
Latourell Falls,
Loowit Falls,
Lower Oneonta Falls,
Lower Punch Bowl Falls,
Metlako Falls,
Middle Oneonta Falls,
Multnomah Falls,
Munra Falls,
Ponytail Falls,
Punch Bowl Falls,
Shepperds Dell Falls,
Skoonichuk Falls,
Starvation Creek Falls,
Tenas Falls,
Triple Falls,
Tunnel Falls,
Upper McCord Creek Falls,
Wah Gwin Gwin Falls,
Wahclella Falls,
Wahkeena Falls,
Weisendanger Falls
If you do not see the Columbia River
Gorge before you leave this planet you
will have missed the time of your life.