Although the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area has much to offer, it is not the usual type of destination for hikers and campers. There are plenty of hiking opportunities, and a great number of campgrounds, but as with many water centered recreation areas, the main focus of visitors to the gorge are the dams and locks, fishing and boating and other water related sports, and tourist oriented sightseeing. But because it is such an interesting area, we've decided to include it as a destination.

I first visited the Columbia River Gorge in the mid-80s, stopping only briefly at the Cascade Locks, The Bridge of the Gods, and the Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. But I've always remembered it as an interesting, exciting, and enticing area. Enough to draw me back for a longer (although still too short) visit.

On this trip we spent the night in Biggs Junction, Oregon. It seems the whole town is centered around two or three noisy truck stops, and because of that, the community seems to be pretty utilitarian. But we drove 656 miles from our home and Biggs Junction seemed like a good place to start our exploration the next day.

We had come in along Interstate 84 from the southeast and our first view of the Columbia River was near the town of Boardman, Oregon. From there westward the river's canyon gets deeper and better defined. And perhaps "river" is a misnomer. There are a series of dams along the Columbia River, from the Bonneville Dam closer to Portland, all the way up the river to the Grand Coulee Dam, and beyond. And each dam has created a reservoir which essentially backs up to the base of the next dam. So rather than a river, the Columbia has become a series of lake like reservoirs.

Because of the depth of these reservoirs, and the river's proximity to the coastal ports, such as Portland, large cargo barges can easily make their way upstream for a great distance. To accommodate this river traffic, each of the dams has one or more locks. For those of us from the desert southwest, this is a fascinating process to observe. The dams also have fish ladders to allow the salmon a chance to swim up stream to spawn. More on all of this in the specific notes for each site.