Take a drive through the Columbia River Gorge and you're sure to be impressed by a diagonal band of cliffs on the Washington side of the gorge that rise from the river toward the mountains above. These grand and daunting cliffs are called Coyote Wall or the Syncline. A network of single-track trails and old jeep roads extend up alongside the columnar basalt ledge. ...Read more.

Tucked into the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, Beacon Rock State Park has great places camp and kick back after a day of traveling in the gorge or hiking Hamilton Mountain and Beacon Rock. Main Campground In the forest up the road from Hamilton Mountain Trailhead, you'll find the park's main campground spread around a single loop. A mossy ledge of basalt rises over one side of the campground. ...Read more.

Only hike Hamilton Mountain Trail if you like charming forests, bold waterfalls, and awesome cliff-top views. Hamilton Mountain Trail passes a viewpoint for the Pool of the Winds, where Rodney Falls plunges into a rock-wrapped punchbowl. The trail rises to a summit along the Columbia River Gorge, ascending 2,025 feet on a 7.75-mile lollipop loop. Some of Hamilton Mountain's best views come from a perch below the summit and a saddle after the summit. ...Read more.

Beacon Rock rises like a stone tower with sheer cliffs dropping to the Columbia River. Beacon Rock Trail could be the Columbia River Gorge relative of Moro Rock Trail in Sequoia National Park. The trail is built right up the side of the basalt monolith, using over fifty switchbacks and at least a dozen cliff-straddling bridges to reach a pointed summit. ...Read more.

Vista House is a roadside viewpoint like no other. The beautifully designed and maintained building is an Oregon icon designated as a National Natural Landmark. The viewing deck that wraps around Vista House offers one of the greatest non-hike-dependent views in Oregon. Vista House resides on the inside of a bend in Historic Columbia River Highway on Crown Point, a lofty landing of basaltic rock at the west end of Columbia River Gorge. ...Read more.

Angel's Rest Lookout boast soaring views across Columbia River Gorge. Things get particularly heavenly at sunrise when the first rays of light grace the gorge. Angel's Rest Trail starts from Historic Columbia River Highway, just off Interstate 84, and rises 1,500 feet over a 4.8-mile round trip hike. In addition to superb sights at the top, the trail seals its Columbia River Gorge status by passing waterfalls on Coopey Creek. ...Read more.

Fantastic waterfalls, dramatic cliffs, charming cascades, and handsome forests entertain hikers on the first couple miles of Eagle Creek Trail. Venture up a scenic canyon on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge near Cascade Locks, following the tumbling water of Eagle Creek. Trek under and across steep cliffs that place cascades in your path. ...Read more.

With its grand river and towering cliffs, the Columbia River Gorge is a tough place to build a roadway. See one of the engineering feats used to build a road through the gorge by moseying over to the Mosier Twin Tunnels. This picturesque pair of tunnels can be crossed on Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail, which follows the route of the century old road that crossed the gorge long before I-84. ...Read more.

Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon and not the sort of waterfall that leaves you asking for more. Still, the Columbia River Gorge has so many waterfalls to offer that you can pair scoping out Multnomah Falls from top to bottom with admiring a quintet of other waterfalls on an immensely beautiful hike. This loop combines Wahkeena Trail with Larch Mountain Trail and is 6. ...Read more.

Do you have a need for waterfalls? Heading to the Columbia River Gorge is a good start (the area is stocked full of them). If you choose to hike Horsetail Falls Trail, you'll get a tall waterfall right at the trailhead. Half a mile up the trail, you'll find another waterfall that you can actually walk behind. Combine Horsetail Falls Trail and Oneonta Trail for a 2. ...Read more.