Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Columbia River Gorge

Multnomah Falls (620 feet)

Fish Ladders at Bonneville Dam

Fish Ladder view from inside the Dam - Real Fish trying to climb

Bonneville Dam releasing water into the Columbia River

Sturgeon at the Fish Hatchery

We visited the Columbia River Gorge on a Sunday, which was probably our biggest mistake. After being in out of the way places for over a week, we were surprised by the number of people at the waterfalls along the gorge. I guess this is a favorite Sunday outing for the Portland locals.

The drive along the gorge was beautiful and the falls were impressive. However, we enjoyed the falls in Prospect, Oregon more than the falls along the gorge. The falls in Prospect were not as tall but they had more water flowing and a lot less people.

The highlight of the tour along the gorge for us was the visit to the Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. The dam itself was quite a site due to the large amount of water being released. This made the river below the dam a prime fishing location. We watched several people pulling out fish from the raging river.

The dam also featured a fish ladder. You could watch salmon and other fish go up the fish ladder from above or through viewing windows below the water. It was pretty interesting watching the fish fight against the current to reach the next level. If a fish accidently turned too much in the current, the fish would be swept back down the step and have to start all over.

Outside the dam there was a fish hatchery. It was a beautiful park with landscaped ponds in addition to the concrete hatchery areas. One of the ponds contained a collection of large sturgeon, including long time resident Herman the Sturgeon. Herman was close to 10 feet long and a favorite of the locals.

If you are ever in the Portland area, a drive along the Columbia River to the Bonneville Dam is well worth the time.