Cascade Locks The Columbia River squeezes through the deepest part of the Gorge at Cascade Locks, narrowing to a quarter-mile wide and cutting the only sea-level passage through the Cascade Range. Wedged between the lush north rim of the Gorge and the Columbia River, this exceptionally scenic city of 1,500 people has been a significant crossroads of the Pacific Northwest for centuries. For much of the 19th century, an arduous portage was required around a series of rapids here, described by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as “The Great Shute.” A canal and locks built in the 1890s allowed easier navigation and gave Cascade Locks its name. Today’s Cascade Locks visitors enjoy an abundance of woods-and-water recreation, with intriguing touchstones to the past at every turn. The Bridge of the Gods that links Oregon to Washington across the Columbia is a prominent Cascade Locks landmark, named for a natural stone bridge that once arched across the river. The lovely cantilever bridge with sweeping river views that now spans the river bears a small toll for drivers but not for those crossing it via the Pacific Crest Trail on foot (but be aware there is no pedestrian walkway). Its south end merges onto US-30/Wa-Na-Pa Street, the city’s compact and lively downtown. Stop and enjoy a burger, brunch or a round of microbrews in the friendly stretch along the Columbia. The Native tribes of this region are deeply connected to the Columbia River and its salmon, integral to their culture, religion and diet. Many tribal members continue to fish in the traditional methods of their ancestors, lowering dip nets from scaffolds cantilevered over the water near the Bridge of the Gods. You can purchase their catch at stands near the base of the bridge and at Native-owned Brigham Fish Market nearby. Cascade Locks is a boating and sportfishing hub, too, especially appealing to anglers for summer steelhead and fall chinook. Local guides host angling trips for salmon, sturgeon and walleye, with opportunities to get out on the water year-round. The Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge docks in Cascade Locks, a triple-deck paddlewheel riverboat that offers sightseeing cruises in season. The sternwheeler’s historic style harkens back to the era when Cascade Locks was busy with riverboats. The Lewis and Clark Expedition is commemorated in Marine Park at Sacagawea Circle. West on the riverfront lie the historic locks, the canal and the lock tender’s home that now houses a great local museum — look for the historic steam locomotive that portaged goods around the rapids outside on its grounds. A nearby footbridge leads to Thunder Island, a sliver of land that offers sweeping views up and down the Columbia River. Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge and the Bridge of the Gods FROM LEFT: UNCAGE THE SOUL PRODUCTIONS; TRAVEL OREGON Brigham Fish Market 6 Visit Hood River Travel Guide
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