The Historic Columbia River Highway, built between 1913 and 1922, was the first planned scenic highway in the US. It clings to the edges of the hills, climbs to top of ridges, and dips down for views of waterfalls. The construction of I-84 in the1960s destroyed parts of the old highway. Today only about 40 of the original 74 miles are drivable but sections have been reopened for hiking and biking. We walked/rolled along part of the 4 mile section from Cascade Locks west to the Tooth Rock Trailhead. A small parking lot is located under the Bridge of the Gods. This section has steps at the 3 mile mark. We didn’t go that far but to get a look at more of the trail we parked at the Tooth Rock Trailhead and walked east for a bit.
The trail travels through rainforest and would be very tranquil but the constant noise from the interstate is extremely distracting. It’s well maintained with long, gentle hills and no flat sections.
Short RVs will fit in the small parking lot under the Bridge of the Gods, The parking lot at Tooth Rock Trailhead has a few long RV spaces.
Trail 45.66177, -121.89842
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