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Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
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Ride the Wind
Hood River, the town at the narrowest point of the Columbia River Gorge, is an internationally famous destination for boardsailors. Surfers launch from both sides of the river, from Rooster Rock to Rufus, and often find that wind conditions can vary wildly from one location to the next. This is due to the unpredictable collision of cool marine air found on the western side of the Cascades, with the dryer air from the inland basin. The wind speeds often vary from 15 mph at one location to 35 mph at another spot just 30 miles east or west. Launch sites as little as 1 mile apart can have huge swells at one, and small chop at the other.
 More on windsurfing in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Hike Eagle Creek Trail
Sections of this 13.2-mile trail are carved into sheer basalt cliffs while elsewhere it meanders through lush forest. Along the way, pass Punch Bowl Falls, where angel hair strands of water fall 25 feet into a verdigris pool of water set in a large grotto. Walk across High Bridge, which traverses the gorge 150 feet above the creek, and through Tunnel Falls, where the trail passes through a tunnel behind a curtain of falling water.
More on hiking in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Crown the Sturgeon King
There's an old-time smoked-fish breakfast place on Manhattan's Upper West Side called Barney Greengrass the Sturgeon King. Who's the Sturgeon King in your family? The only way to find out is to drop a hook deep into the Columbia River above and below the Bonneville Dam. The sturgeon is a bottom-feeder and prefers the deep, cavernous sections of the river. The Columbia River's waters are also home to small and large mouth bass, panfish, walleye and shad. If you're after salmon and steelhead, check out the Little White Salmon River that flows into Drano Lake.
More on fishing in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Behold Multnomah Falls
The double-tiered Multnomah Falls, at 620-feet high, is the second highest waterfall in the United States. You can see five flows of Yakama basalt in the fall's cliff face. The Benson Bridge, built by Italian stone masons, allows you to view the falls between its upper and lower cataract.
Mountain Bike Gorge Trail 400
Bike beneath the towering basalt cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge. Although gentle grades generally make this smooth cycling, expect numerous rock talus crossings to challenge your obstacle avoidance skills. At Wauna Viewpoint, you can gorge your eyes on the beguiling engineering wonder known as the Bonneville Dam.
More on biking in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Identify Rain Forest Wildflowers
An average annual precipitation of 75 inches at Oneonta Gorge yields a temperate rain forest teeming with"endemic" (no where else in the world) and exotic wildflowers. As you explore this lush ecosystem, you'll feel as if you've wandered into a natural outdoor greenhouse. Keep your eyes open for Columbia Gorge daisies — these white-petaled flowers can be found on overhanging basalt cliffs. The white-flowered Oregon Sullivantia prefers to cling to the wet cliffs near waterfalls, and tends to be found in the low elevations in the western end of the Gorge on the Oregon side.
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