Gorge context east of Beacon Rock — Bonneville Dam, the drowned Cascade Rapids, and the Bridge of the Gods that carries the legend and the old landslide.
Before we say goodbye, look east up the river, upstream, because just a few miles that way sits the next chapter of the gorge, and it ties this whole place together. That's where Bonneville Dam spans the Columbia — the first big federal dam on the river, built in the nineteen-thirties, throwing power and salmon ladders across the water. When they built it, the rising reservoir drowned the Cascade Rapids, the very rapids that Lewis and Clark had to portage around right below Beacon Rock. What was once the river's wildest stretch here is now smooth water behind the dam.
Just beyond it you can spot a steel bridge crossing high over the river — the Bridge of the Gods. That's a modern toll bridge, and hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail cross the Columbia right there. But its name comes from something far older and far stranger: a natural bridge of land that once spanned this river, and the Native legend that grew up around it. Boone's been saving that tale.
For now, that's your Beacon Rock: a dead volcano's core, saved from the dynamite, with a trail up its face and a breathing pool in the woods behind it. Thank you for walking it with Boone and me. If you enjoyed the day, we'd be grateful if you left us a review — it helps other travelers find these tours. This has been Ranger Quinn and Ranger Boone Merrick. Safe travels through the gorge.
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domain
