Oregon
Hiking the Spectacular Columbia River Gorge
Program No. 14936RJ
Join local experts to hike at your own pace and learn about the Columbia River Gorge, explore historic sites, take in awe-inspiring vistas and witness spectacular waterfalls.
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7 days
6 nights
16 meals
6B 5L 5D
1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Cascade Locks, OR
2
Cascade Locks, Beacon Rock, Wahclella Falls, Bonneville Dam
Cascade Locks, OR
3
Coyote Wall Trail, Multnomah Falls Lodge
Cascade Locks, OR
4
Eagle Creek & Tom McCall Overlook, Hood River
Cascade Locks, OR
5
Falls Hikes: Horsetail, Multnomah, Latourell
Cascade Locks, OR
6
Cape Horn, Skamania Lodge
Cascade Locks, OR
7
Program Concludes
Cascade Locks, OR
At a Glance
The Columbia River Gorge is the quintessential Pacific Northwest experience — home to waterfalls, scenic hiking trails, deep forests and outstanding vistas. Choose your daily route based on desired difficulty and watch history and geology come to life as you hike the country’s largest scenic area. Enjoy peaceful rivers and glittering waterfalls and learn how this region’s unique geography shaped the history of its people. Make your way to the top of Beacon Rock for spectacular views of the gorge, and visit the charming town of Hood River, an outdoor enthusiast’s playground with food, mountains, rivers and natural beauty.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Hikes ranging from 4-8 miles on varied terrain. Elevations of 3,000-4,050 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Visit the historic Bonneville Dam along the Columbia River and learn about the aspects of a fish hatchery.
- Experience the thundering waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge both in Oregon & Washington.
- Try the region’s famous cuisine featuring local salmon at the historic Multnomah Falls Lodge and other farm-to-table restaurants and breweries.
Suggested Reading List
(12 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Hiking the Spectacular Columbia River Gorge
Program Number: 14936
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast-Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska
This easy-to-use field guide features 794 species of plants commonly found along the Pacific coast from Oregon to Alaska, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, aquatic plants, grasses, ferns, mosses and lichens. PLANTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST covers the coastal region from shoreline to alpine, including the western Cascades. Includes:
* 1100 color photographs
* More than 1000 line drawings and silhouettes
* Clear species descriptions and keys to groups
* Descriptions of each plant's habitat and range
* 794 new color range maps.
Rich and engaging notes on each species describe aboriginal and other local uses of plants for food, medicine and implements, along with unique characteristics of the plants and the origins of their names. For both amateurs and professionals, this is the best, most accessible, most up-to-date guide of its kind.
In Search of Ancient Oregon
Geology is an extremely visual subject, and In Search of Ancient Oregon is a beautifully photographed, expertly written account of Oregon's fascinating geological story. Written by a passionate and professional geologist who has spent countless hours in the field exploring and photographing the state, In Search of Ancient Oregon is a book for all those interested in Oregon's landscapes and environments. It presents fine-art-quality color photographs of well-known features such as Mount Hood, Crater Lake, Smith Rock, Steens Mountain, the Columbia River Gorge, and Cannon Beach, and scenic, not so well known places such as Jordan Craters, Leslie Gulch, Abert Rim, Hells Canyon, Elkhorn Mountains, and Three Fingered Jack. Each of the more than 220 stunning photographs is accompanied by readable text, presenting the story of how Oregon's diverse landscapes evolved — and what we may expect in the future. Until now, no book has presented this dynamic story in a way that everyone interested in Oregon's natural history can easily understand. The combination of extraordinary photographs and the author's lucid explanations make this book both unique and essential for those curious about our own contemporary landscape.
Eden Seekers-The Settlement of Oregon 1818-1862
Good summary fo Oregon's history.
Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest
Presented here with 52 photographs, these traditional stories, first collected in 1910, reveal myths and traditions of creation, the salmon and noted geographical features of the territory.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest
Filled with concise descriptions and stunning photographs, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest belongs in the home of every Pacific Northwest resident and in the suitcase or backpack of every visitor. This compact volume contains:
An easy-to-use field guide for identifying 1,000 of the region's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, mammals, and much more;
A complete overview of the Pacific Northwest's natural history, covering geology, wildlife habitats, ecology, fossils, rocks and minerals, clouds and weather patterns and night sky;
An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with detailed descriptions and visitor information for 50 sites and notes on dozens of others.
The guide is packed with visual information -- the 1,500 full-color images include more than 1,300 photographs, 14 maps, and 16 night-sky charts, as well as 150 drawings explaining everything from geological processes to the basic features of different plants and animals.
For everyone who lives or spends time in Washington or Oregon, there can be no finer guide to the area's natural surroundings than the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest.
Northwest Passage-The Great Columbia River
Describes the natural and human history of the Columbia River.
100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon
Good description of hikes we will be hiking.
Salmon without Rivers-A history of the Pacific Salmon Crisis
Easy to read book on Salmon, and hatcheries.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark
abridged version of their journey.
Cataclysms on the Columbia
A layperson’s guide to the catastrophic Bretz floods in the Pacific Northwest. These ice age floods helped carve the Columbia River Gorge.
A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest
The Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest inhabit a vast region extending from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and from California to British Columbia. For more than two decades, A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest has served as a standard reference on these diverse peoples. Now, in the wake of renewed tribal self-determination, this revised edition reflects the many recent political, economic, and cultural developments shaping these Native communities.
From such well-known tribes as the Nez Perces and Cayuses to lesser-known bands previously presumed extinct, this guide offers detailed descriptions, in alphabetical order, of 150 Pacific Northwest tribes. Each entry provides information on the history, location, demographics, and cultural traditions of the particular tribe.
Among the new features offered here are an expanded selection of photographs, updated reading lists, and a revised pronunciation guide. While continuing to provide succinct histories of each tribe, the volume now also covers such contemporary and sometimes controversial issues as Indian gaming and NAGPRA. With its emphasis on Native voices and tribal revitalization, this new edition of the Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest is certain to be a definitive reference for many years to come.
Northwest Exposures-A Geologic Story of the Northwest
Northwest Exposures chronicles the events that shaped the region's rock and landforms through the ages. The tale of the Northwest's geology began more than two billion years ago when an ancient continent split, creating oceanfront property in what is now western Idaho. Pacific islands mashed into that coastline, making large parts of Washington and Oregon. These events were followed by monstrous volcanic eruptions, catastrophic ice age floods, and mountains rising to an accompaniment of earthquakes.
