Columbia Gorge Cruises

Only 5 chances left to experience the 7 Wonders of the Gorge this season! Excursions run now through Monday, Sept. 29th. Don’t miss the views that are nothing short of wonder-ful. See the Gorge in all its fall glory. 🍂

Photo by Cole Chase Photography.

Day 6 of our 7 Wonders of the Gorge series: Rooster Rock 🐓

This 120-foot basalt monolith rises from the Columbia River Gorge just below Crown Point. Formed by landslides and shaped by Ice Age floods, Rooster Rock is one of the few rocky remnants left standing. The Chinook people named it "iwash" based on its ph***ic shape. Early settlers adopted the name “Cock Rock,” until mapmakers changed it to the tamer “Rooster Rock.” Lewis & Clark even camped here on November 2, 1805, noting it in their journals

The site has seen many lives — a small cannery once operated in its cove, and today it’s home to both a popular state park and a clothing-optional beach. Rooster Rock is also beloved by stargazers, with Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) often hosting public “star parties” here for dazzling views of planets, galaxies and the night sky. ✨

Day 4 of our 7 Wonders of the Gorge series: Mt. Hood 🏔️

Rising 11,239 feet above sea level, Mt. Hood is Oregon’s tallest peak and one of the most iconic mountains in the Cascade Range. Known to Indigenous people as Wy’East, this dormant volcano is crowned with 11 glaciers and continues to release steam from its fumaroles.

First sighted by Lt. William Broughton of the British Navy in 1792 and later documented by Lewis & Clark in 1805, Mt. Hood has long inspired explorers, pioneers and adventurers. In 1845, Samuel Barlow and Joel Palmer opened the first wagon route over the Cascades here, forever changing the Oregon Trail journey.

Today, Mt. Hood is one of the top three climbed mountains in the world (Mt. Fuji is number one), home to five ski areas — including Timberline Lodge, which hosts North America’s only year-round ski season — and over 1,200 miles of hiking trails in the surrounding national forest. 🌲✨

Day 2 of our 7 Wonders of the Gorge series: Cape Horn 🌲⛰️

One of the Gorge’s most dramatic landmarks, Cape Horn’s cliffs rise from layers of ancient basalt formed by volcanic flows millions of years ago and carved by the Columbia River.

The Cape Horn Tunnel was completed in 1907 for the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S), marking the shift from steamboats to trains along the Columbia.

Thanks to conservation efforts led by Nancy Russell, Columbia Land Trust and Friends of the Columbia Gorge in the 1980s, Cape Horn was preserved from further development. Today, the 64-acre preserve includes the Cape Horn Loop Trail and Nancy Russell Overlook (filming location for the movie "Twilight"). ✨