Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular canyon where the Columbia River cuts through the Cascade mountains. From the cliffs and overlooks of Washington state on the north to Oregon’s mountains and waterfalls to the south. Unfortunately, a fire in 2017 burned more than 50,000 acres of the Gorge and many of the beautiful waterfall hiking trails on the Oregon side of the river are still closed a year later.

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft. It’s an incredibly popular place and an easy hike right off the highway. Only the lower section of this hike is open to the public due to the recent fire but it still offers stunning views and is worth checking out.

Dog Mountain

Since many of the popular trails on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge are closed, I decide to drive over to the Washington side to explore the highly rated Dog Mountain Trail, or as it’s aptly nicknamed – ‘Sweatin’ Like A Dog Mountain’.

This leg burner of a hike is a hard and steady 2,824 ft climb over 3.8 miles. This was a much more difficult hike than I had thought it would be, despite the hard trail rating and the 95 degree heat.

Still not to the top yet! In the spring, this entire mountain is covered with wildflowers.

 

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