Book your 2025 & 2026 adventures Risk free.
After pickup from your Portland hotel in the morning, you'll be driven by luxury vehicle to Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. Just 20 minutes outside the city, you'll travel along the mighty Columbia River while admiring the towering basalt cliffs formed from the river cutting through the Cascade Mountains.
When you arrive, your naturalist guide will lead you on a series of short walks to view some of the more than 90 gorgeous waterfalls here, including the second-tallest perennial waterfall in the US, Multnomah Falls. Enjoy morning tea and snacks as you admire the sights.
Continue farther up the river to the town of Hood River, where breathtaking natural beauty and high winds create a paradise for windsurfers, kite boarders and sightseers.
Stop for a delicious lunch in Hood River (see Itinerary section below for a sample menu) and then continue driving east across the Cascade Divide, where the landscape changes suddenly and dramatically to high desert. Take out your provided binoculars and spot wildlife such as birds and eagles roaming above the basalt cliffs and among sagebrush and pine trees.
Next, in the town of The Dalles, visit one of two museums -
Columbia Gorge Discovery Center
Learn how the early pioneers made their way west along the difficult and often deadly Oregon Trail, and hear stories about the native people along the Columbia River and the treacherous journey of Lewis and Clark through this region in 1805.
Maryhill Museum (seasonal)
Encounter an impressive collection of art from around the world, including more than 80 works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, and an array of artifacts like petrogylphs, intricate baskets and beadwork from the Pacific Northwest’s indigenous groups.
