I’ve visited a few places in my time and I have a few favorites. The Columbia River Gorge is at the top of the list. Sue and I flew to Portland a few years ago for a quick 48-hour circumnavigation of the Columbia River Gorge. I wish I could tell you we rode a motorcycle, but it was four wheels this time. I have motorcycled through the Columbia River Gorge several times so I guess I’ve got my bona fides if I needed to prove something. But I don’t and there are times when a car is my preferred mode of travel. You know, if it gets cold, you turn on the heater. If it gets hot, you turn on the AC. If it rains, you hit the windshield wipers. Yeah, I know, I’m not being manly. It is what it is, my brothers.
So anyway, we grabbed a Hyundai Veloster at the Portland rental lot. It appealed to us, it promised to sip fuel gingerly (a promise it met), and it was comfortable for our weekend getaway.
The smart (and scenic) money on the Columbia’s Oregon side is Highway 30 (also known as the Oregon Scenic Byway), an historic (read: two-lane, non-freeway) route that parallels the Columbia River. Twisty and green with stunning views of the falls and more quiet, and offering lots of things to stop and photograph…it’s a road that checks all the boxes. There’s Multnomah Falls, the Vista House, moss-covered concrete guardrails, and much more.
Continuing east along Highway 30, still south of the Columbia River, is a ticket into a flower-covered stretch of scenery through the Rowena Crest area. Rowena Crest kind of sounds like a suburban housing tract, but it is anything but. This is good country up here in the Pacific Northwest.
This is a premier wildflower area, and they were out in force during our visit.
Here’s a shot a shot of the Columbia River in the Rowena Crest area.
We crossed the Columbia River (after riding east for most of that morning) at Biggs. Once we were in Washington, we turned left on Highway 14, the road in Washington that parallels the Columbia on the Washington side. It’s another two-lane road, although it’s busier than Highway 30 on the Oregon side.
Traveling west on 14, we were pointed directly at Mt. Hood (a snow-covered inactive volcano in Oregon).
The views and the roads are impressive on both sides of the Columbia River.
After driving for a while on the Washingon side, we came to the Bridge of the Gods. It was our ticket back into Oregon. I first rode across this bridge after riding the 2005 Three Flags Classic Rally. Good buddy Marty and I had been up to Canada and we were returning to southern California through Washington and Oregon. I love everything about the Bridge, not the least of which is the road surface. It’s grated iron, and if you look down while riding a motorcycle, it’s as if you’re flying. You can’t see the road surface at all…all you see is the Columbia River water way below. It’s really cool.
Here’s the view from the Washington side.
Here’s what it looks like as you drive across.
And one more photo, this time from the Oregon side…
During our weekend in the Columbia River area, we stayed in Hood River, a nice little town on the Oregon side. Our hotel was on the river, near a favored spot for kiteboarding and standup paddling.
A circumnavigation of the Columbia River Gorge, using the Bridge of the Gods and the bridge at Biggs at the western and eastern anchor points, makes for an ideal two-day adventure ride. Hood River is the place to stay.
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Take a look at the Motorcycle Classics story on the Columbia River Gorge, and more of our published works are here.