Destination
Columbia and Snake Rivers

 Few adventures rival that of Lewis and Clark. Your cruise will travel the final leg of their historical cross-country expedition.

Up-close cruising will keep you keenly aware of shore-side geological wonders of this ancient region.

Geographically diverse, the Columbia River offers views of snow-capped mountains, and arid river gorges carved-out centuries ago

Admire the Victorian-era architecture of Astoria

Fort Astoria is located near the mouth of the Columbia River, and was founded by employees of John Jacob Astor’s fur trading company in 1811. Today, Astoria has more registered historic buildings than any other city in Oregon. It is the oldest U.S. city on the west coast.
The Astoria Column has 168 steps in an internal spiral staircase that leads to the top where the views of the Columbia River are breathtaking. Restored in 1995 at a cost of $700,000, the Column has 14 murals adorning its outside. The historic Flavel House was the home of Captain George Flavel and his family, and the historic Victorian-era mansion is now part of a tour of historic Astoria.
The Astoria-Megler Bridge is a 4.1-mile-long bridge that spans one of the widest parts of the lower Columbia River and enables Highway 101 to cross from Washington to Oregon. Completed in 1966, the bridge was humorously called “The Bridge to Nowhere” or “Hatfield’s Folly” because many skeptics thought it would be of little or no use since there is no major town situated on the Washington side of the span. It was a toll bridge until 1993, when the debt associated with the bridge’s construction was paid off (two years ahead of schedule) and the toll was abolished.
Astoria’s waterfront district was the site of over 30 fish canneries during the heyday of commercial fishing in Astoria. Today, all that remains of this unique part of Astoria’s past are the pylons that supported these buildings. A trolley car offers narrated tours of this historic area of Astoria.Many international ships pass by Astoria today. These vessels cross the Columbia River bar aided by a bar pilot and then continue upriver to the ports of Portland, Vancouver, Longview, or Kalama.

Columbia and Snake River Geology

The entire Pacific Northwest has been influenced by two major types of floods. The first were volcanic in origin, as floods of molten lava poured over the land. Originating in volcanoes long since extinct, these flood basalts, as they are called, accumulated layer upon layer, creating the land mass that is now Washington and Oregon. Visible in the sides of the Columbia Gorge, these basalt flows appear as a series of layers heaped one upon the other. Mountains build up and rivers erode or cut down; as a result, the gorge provides a clear cross-sectional view of geologic time.
The Columbia River has been steadily eroding its river channel for millennia. But the river alone was never powerful enough to create the gorge as we see it now. What happened to help the river? The answer is massive cataclysmic Ice Age flooding. From about 15,000 years ago to about 12,000 years ago, a series of massive ice dam failures resulted in enormous floods rushing down the Columbia River pathway. This water was as much as 1,000 feet high and traveled at speeds close to 100 miles per hour. Such massive floods ripped and tore at the sides of the river valley, removing huge quantities of rock, gravel, and debris. Originating northeast of Spokane, Washington,  near Missoula, Montana, these floods flushed away thousands of tons of ground up rock and carried this material along until the floodwaters slowed. When these floodwaters slowed, they dropped their 'bed load' of gravel. This deposited material, called Loess, can now be found in the Walla Walla and Willamette Valleys. This is the reason these two areas are so rich agriculturally. These two complementary flood phases resulted in the diverse scenery and beauty that can be seen along the Columbia-Snake River route today.

Time-travel along the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Learn about the rich past of the Columbia River.

This great river of the West was not discovered until the 1700's. Many explorers sought to discover the mouth of this great river. James Cook, John Meares, and George Vancouver all searched for and missed it. In 1792, a U.S. fur trader by the name of Robert Gray became the first white seaman to sail a vessel into the river. He named it for his ship – the Columbia Rediviva. Ongoing exploration was accelerated as a result of Gray’s discovery, aided by the 1803 Louisianna Purchase.Lewis & Clark, Wilson Price Hunt and the Astorians, the Hudson’s Bay Company, missionaries like the Whitmans and the Spaldings, Benjamin Bonneville, and Peter Skeen Odgen all helped discover and open up the Pacific Northwest. What first started out as a small smattering of explorers and traders would eventually become a flood, as thousands of Oregon Trail settlers came west seeking a new start.

Hells Canyon

Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America and a wonderful and unique region to explore by jet boat. This stretch of the Snake River is designated as a national recreation area and is one of the last remaining free-flowing sections of the river. Once the traditional lands of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce, this area is full of history, geology, wildlife, and breathtaking scenery. View basalt rock formed as the result of ancient volcanic eruptions. See weird five- to seven-sided columnar basalt formations caused by unique cooling conditions. Massive mountain areas that were once part of the ocean floor have been uplifted as jagged peaks abundant with limestone deposits. At the famous Nez Perce crossing, Chief Joseph and his Wallowa Nez Perce band were forced to swim themselves, their children, and their livestock across the swollen Snake River. Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, bald eagles, great blue herons, elk, and mule deer can all be found in Hells Canyon.

See dramatic basalt formations in Hells Canyon.

Today, this mansion is (according to Time Magazine) ‘The loneliest art museum in the world.’ Unique is the only word to explain it. Due to his friendship with European royalty, it contains Romanian art donated by his friend Queen Maria of Romania. It also houses sculptures by August Rodin, an inspiring collection of chess pieces from all over the world, and one of the best collections of North American native artifacts seen outside the Smithsonian. Sam also financed the construction of a replica of Stonehenge on the grounds as a war memorial dedicated to the men of the area who died during World War One. From the site of the museum people have an excellent view of Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.

See one of the most spectacular roads in America.

Imagine crafting a national treasure on a landscape so revered that each viewpoint is protected, and where the design and materials must be in complete harmony with the natural elements. Then imagine the result being so good that people come from all over the world to marvel at its perfection. This is the historic Columbia River Highway (the London News called it "The King of Roads"), a pathway along the spectacular Columbia Gorge.

A remarkable group of civic-minded men joined in the effort to build the highway. Sam Hill, a Seattle lawyer for the great northern railroad, brought together civil engineer Sam Lancaster, lumber barons Simon Benson and John Yeon, publisher San Jackson, Portland’s leading retailer Julius Meir, and Multnomah county commissioner Rufus Holman. Construction began in 1912 and the new road, 74 miles long, was completed in 1922. Today, few sections are open to automobile traffic. One section is the 6.5-mile stretch from Hood River to Mosier. This drive offers breathtaking views of the Columbia River Gorge, which in the spring is an explosion of wildflowers, and in the fall is an equally breathtaking mix of fall colors.

Portland is a city of many nicknames such as “Little Stumptown,” referring to the days when early builders left many tree stumps in the middle of the city. It was also named “Puddletown” during the same era. In 1852, an Oregonian editorial stated that it was not appropriate for women to raise their skirts to avoid all the puddles in the Portland area, and it was best if women stayed home when it rained! Those days have certainly changed, and now the city is better known as the “City of Roses.” Portland hosts a popular month-long Rose Festival every June with rose shows, parades, fireworks, concerts and more. It is also known as the “City of Bridges” because of its unique variety of 14 auto bridges, some built by world-famous engineers, and eight of which are listed on the National Historic Register.

This clean and friendly riverside city was ranked as one of the U.S. cities with the "Most Pleasant Climate" by a 1991 Rand McNally survey, ranking six places ahead of Honolulu, Hawaii! There is much to enjoy on a visit to Portland, with its wonderful blend of historic sites and modern skyscrapers. The Tom McCall Waterfront Park follows the Willamette River for 22 blocks. It's popular with locals and visitors for scenic riverside strolls or jogs, and is the site of the Rose Festival in June, as well as the popular arts and crafts “Saturday Market.” The city offers myriad shopping choices, visits to museums, or a leisurely afternoon perusing the largest independent bookstore in the U.S. Powell’s Bookstore is one city block long and three stories high, requiring a map to guide you when you enter!

Watch for birds of prey along the Snake River.

For Lewis & Clark, the Snake River was an area of almost continual rapids and waterfalls. Today, the area is starkly beautiful, with a mixture of irrigated farmland and open rangeland where beef cattle and an occasional deer graze. The construction of dams with their installed navigation locks has afforded safer and faster travel on the river for all types of vessels. Barge traffic is quite common as varied products are moved both up and down stream via the river. Many small but scenic parks dot the shoreline.Several areas have also been set aside as refuges for wildlife by the Corps of Engineers to mitigate for natural habitat areas lost when water backed up behind the dams. Certain stretches of the Snake River now offer excellent wildlife viewing. Look for the rare white pelican near Ice Harbor dam. Learn about the significance of Monument Rock. See some of the largest family-owned apple orchards in the U.S. Look for osprey, golden eagles, and numerous species of hawk along the cliffs, bluffs, and shorelines.

Sunny and fertile, this area is often called Washington’s breadbasket. Soils deposited by ice-age floods, combined with irrigation from the Columbia, Snake, and Walla Walla rivers, contribute to the area's high production of wheat, alfalfa, corn, asparagus, potatoes, the famous Walla Walla sweet onion, and wine grapes. History in the area pre-dates the Oregon Trail migration. The first white settlers were religious missionaries sent to bring Christianity to the Cayuse and Walla Walla natives indigenous to the valley. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman established their Presbyterian mission at Waiilatpu amongst the Cayuse living in the area. This mission became an early stopping place for trail pioneers, and that became a point of contention for the Cayuse. Travelers brought diseases with them and passed them on to the local natives. The resulting deaths coupled with misunderstanding lead to a tragic uprising, attack, and massacre. This resulted in the Cayuse wars, and at the conclusion of hostilities, treaty negotiations resulted in the establishment of the reservation system and the natives lost their land. This opened the area for homesteading, and the final result is the extremely important agricultural richness enjoyed today.