NOW AVAILABLE FOR
A LIMITED TIME!"A Traveler's Guide to The Historic Columbia River Highway"
By: M&S Tour Books
$13.50 (includes shipping)
Click here for more information and to order.
Moffett Creek to Tanner Creek
Tanner Creek to Eagle Creek
Eagle Creek to Cascade Locks
Hood River to Mosier
Hood River to Mosier
Roadbed: Paved
Distance: Approximately 4.6 miles
Grade: Flat to Mild
Hike/Bike: A perfect hike or biking trail. Easy path and minimum altitude changes.
The Historic Columbia River Highway was the first complete road built through the Columbia Gorge. Begun in 1913 and completed in 1922, the road finally linked Portland with The Dalles. The road was heavily used until finally replaced by I-84, the "watergrade" freeway in the 1950s.
Although some of the original highway was destroyed with the advent of the new freeway, dozens of fragments, representing nearly 50% of the original highway were abandoned and left to the undergrowth.
In the late 1990s, funds were allocated to resurrect several portions of the abandoned historic highway and create trails for hiking and biking only.
Several segments, including the Moffett Creek to Tanner Creek; Tanner Creek to Cascade Locks and the Hood River to Mosier ones, are now complete and offer exceptional recreation to visitors.
One of the most scenic spots along the highway is the Mosier Twin Tunnels. Bypassed by the new watergrade freeway, the tunnels were backfilled and abandoned in the 1950s until the restoration of these segments took place. Now strengthened with modern techniques and materials, these beautiful tunnels are once again open to the public and offer magnificent vistas of the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge.
