ShareThisEven if "Twilight" means nothing to you beyond the time of day the sun dips over the horizon, there's plenty to recommend about the Columbia River Gorge, a breathtaking National Scenic Area east of Portland, Ore., that stretches for 80 miles from Troutdale in the west to The Dalles in the east.
A recommended route begins by leaving Interstate 84 at exit 22 and taking Route 30, the Historic Columbia River Highway, which rises up above the gorge, passing the turnoff for The View Point Inn. Just beyond the inn, The Vista House sits atop Crown Point, 733 feet above the river. Vista House was designed by Portland architect Edgar M. Lazarus as a rest stop on the highway and an observatory.
From here, visitors get a panoramic view -- downtown Portland to the west, snowcapped mountains in Washington state to the north and east toward the town of Hood River.
Continuing east along Route 30 presents dozens of opportunities to stop and hike around waterfalls -- Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls -- before arriving at the main attraction: Multnomah Falls. (Translated, "Multnomah" means "those closer to the water.")
Water running through Multnomah Falls begins atop Larch Mountain before plummeting over two falls for a 620-foot vertical drop.
Multnomah Falls attracts visitors in all seasons -- about 2.5 million of them annually -- but spring is an especially good time to see the falls when the water runs strong from winter snow and rain runoff.
A staffed visitor center and gift shop are located at the base of the falls alongside a lodge, built in 1925, that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Three miles beyond Multnomah Falls visitors will come upon Horsetail Falls. A short but steep hike up a switchback trail leads to a waterfall that can be viewed from its backside. The trail goes beneath the rock face that water cascades over, allowing visitors to go behind the falls without getting soaked.
(Contact TV editor Rob Owen at rowen(at)post-gazette.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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